Love Potion 9
by MajorSam
Summary: Chaos, intrigue and surprise guests. Could this week get any crazier?
1. The Shoe Drops

So I set a review goal for my story "Hang Out" and promised if you brilliant reviewers passed it, I would devote my immediate future to another Helen/Charlotte fic. Well, you passed it! I am a woman of a word. I'm so glad you guys whooped that review goal, because I had WAY too much fun writing this mad little adventure. The whole Sanctuary team decided to come out and play! So if you aren't the biggest Helen/Charlotte fan, don't fear, there's hopefully some fun stuff for you as well :D Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: One chapter will be a steamy "T" rating, and yes, there will be one devoted to "M" content ;) I will label accordingly so you may skip if that's not your thing! Also: My brilliant Beta NoCleverSig decided to flounce off on a CRUISE for a few days, thus this first chapter is basically unbeta'd. All the crap is my own fault; apologies. The rest of the fic will be perfected by her delicate touch.

As usual, I am a shallow, selfish, horrible person who is easily bribed by reviews. If you give 'em, I'll post 'em! More chapters, quicker, that is. The ENTIRE fic IS written ;) I do so enjoy minimum of 10 reviews per chap ;) On with the show!

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><p><strong>Love Potion #9<br>Copyright 2011, MajorSam**

Helen Magnus rubbed her forehead tiredly. The sun shone brilliantly outside the window in her office but the natural light and the chirping of the birds outside only served to aggravate her headache. The past week had been hell. The abnormal insurgents were being more troublesome than usual, the CIA had tried to plant an operative in one of her foreign Sanctuaries, a civilian had run into a wild stranphlus, and Sally had a cold; a very awkward predicament for a mermaid. The water filtration and cleaning system in Sally's tank was top notch, but to be safe Magnus had had to set it drain and refill with fresh water every 6 hours. Kate had arrived for her first of her monthly, in-person reports on the situation in Hollow Earth. To top it all off Declan had felt the need to come to Old City to discuss something about the London Sanctuary with her in person. He'd arrived that afternoon, but she still didn't know what was so pressing that he could only say it in person. The only thing Magnus could be thankful for in the last week was the fact that the Sanctuary's heating, electricity, and the like, kept running smoothly. Richard Feliz had indeed kept her well-funded.

Suddenly the lights in her office flickered.

"What now?" she groaned, throwing her pen onto her desk. She should know better than to think things like that. As soon as she acknowledged her thankfulness…. A moment later, Henry Foss burst into her office.

"Doc!" he exclaimed, "Something's gone haywire with the electrical wiring!"

"Yes, I've noticed," she replied drily, as the lights flickered again.

"My scanners say the original spike came from the east corner of the second floor."

Magnus sighed. No residents were housed on the second floor. The spike was either a problem with the actual wiring itself or a resident had gotten loose. Either way there would be repairs needed.

"Let's go," she ordered opening the right hand drawer of her desk and extracting a handgun, just in case.

She crept along the corridor, Henry behind her with a stunner in hand. Her heels made no noise as her keen eyes searched the area. Henry suddenly sneezed, and she glared at him quickly. He shrugged in apology. The hallway was brightly lit, forcing her to squint as she scanned every inch of the scene in front of her. The hall table was undisturbed, the vase of fresh flowers resting on it still vibrant. The Big Guy always managed to keep the flowers fresh in the summer. The paintings on the walls were untouched, and the carpet was in place. She turned to glance at Henry. He frowned down at the screen of his scanner.

"It came from this area, I swear."

She nodded, trusting him, and took a few steps forward, her gaze landing on the doorway to her right. It led to a simple storage closet, but there were some electrical sockets as well. Vacuum cords and the like only extended so far, so such closets were spaced strategically throughout the Sanctuary. She rarely went into them. Her butler took pride in his maintenance and upkeep of the building. Her mind suddenly leapt to a memory. 1973. Jason, her redheaded Scottish lover, had opened one of these doors and thrown her inside one night after coming home from a movie. He'd pushed her up against the wall and ravished her mouth with his as her protégé at the time had ambled down the corridor, completely unaware. He'd held her firm, hands wandering down her legs before sliding up her skirt…

"Doc?"

Magnus shook her head, clearing her thoughts and looking at her young friend with wide eyes. "Sorry," she mumbled offering no explanation. She took a deep breath, ignoring the fact she felt suddenly warm. She needed to get some sleep, her mind was starting to drift. Very slowly, she inched towards the door, reaching out and grasping the handle in her long fingers. She turned it just a fraction and when no crazed abnormal leaped out from within, finished twisting it, opening the door. Her eyes opened wide, trying to stare into the sudden darkness of the dim closet. Nothing moved, but near the bottom of the right wall, a socket was flickering. Mini sparks of light danced forward into the air. Magnus switched on the light, keeping her weapon aloft in case something jumped out from behind the broom. As light flooded the small space, she felt her heart drop.

"Oh no," Henry moaned behind her.

Laying on the ground just a foot from the socket was a small, furry mound. Its fur was charred and black, leaving no doubt that it was dead. Magnus dropped her gun to her side, closing her eyes in consternation. The creature was dead, but if there was one, there would be more. It certainly explained her little trip down memory lane a few minutes ago.

The nubbins were loose.

As if on cue, Henry sneezed again. "Well this could be a problem," he stated.

"Indeed," Magnus agreed, glaring at the nubbin as if by doing so she could eliminate the problem. "Have you a radio?"

"Nope, sorry," he shook his head. "Just brought the stunner."

Magnus realized in her haste she'd also only brought a weapon. Funny how in her own home weapons were the priorities above communications. "Start working on the socket. I'll go inform everyone and get some clean-up equipment for you."

Henry nodded and knelt down, already assessing the damage. Helen strode swiftly down the corridors wondering if she could actually hear the scuttling of nubbins in the walls, or if she was just imagining it. She absently unbuttoned the cuffs of her dark blue blouse and rolled her sleeves up almost to her elbows. Her legs were itching under her black skirt.

To her team's credit, they were in her office within five minutes of her summons. Will immediately took note of her slightly flushed features. He'd been feeling a little warm himself. He'd have to ask her about the temperature controls. Magnus cut straight to the chase.

"The nubbins have escaped."

A series of groans met her proclamation. Will decided he didn't need to ask about temperate controls after all.

"Henry's assessing the initial damage to our electrical system. I need all of you on search-and-capture. Kate, if you could take Declan to the armoury and stock up on some tranquilizers. Will, you'll come with me to get the sonic projectors." She turned to her big, hairy friend. "Please attend to the temperature controls. Something must have malfunctioned in the nubbin's enclosure. If you need call Henry and make that his priority. Once you're done with that, rendezvous with Henry to help clean up the initial casualty."

She surveyed her team. "Any questions?" They all shook their heads, understanding and ready to go. She felt a moment of pride. She reached into a drawer in her dresser, pulling out enough radios so that each team had one. "Alright, let's move out!"

The group moved fluidly out of her office, pairing off and spreading out towards their respective destinations. Magnus herself led Will to the storage room by Henry's lab. Unless broken, half-finished, or undergoing upgrades, all of Henry's inventions were stored in the large locker room. Magnus sent a silent thank you upwards that Henry kept the room cleaner and more organized than his haphazard lab. Will quickly found the sonic projector devices Henry had fashioned during their initial Nubbin encounter. He checked to ensure the frequency was correct before handing one, then another, over to Magnus, then fetching one for himself.

"Food stores first," Magnus directed. He nodded and moved forward as Magnus took a step further in, deciding at the last minute to grab an extra stunner just in case. Right then the lights went out, flooding the room with sudden darkness. Will stumbled in surprise, straight into the oncoming Magnus as she tried to side-step. She spread her arms wide so that Will didn't crush the delicate projectors. Will hadn't had the foresight, but at the last second skirted his under the doctor's open arms, wrapping himself around her as they collided. He found his head hovering right next to hers, chests flush tight. He could feel hers moving up and down as she breathed shallow breaths that hit his neck in warm puffs. He could feel heat radiating off of her. The subtle scent of her perfume suddenly made his mouth water.

"Um, Will?" She shifted her body slightly. He bit back a groan.

"It's the stunner, I swear," he breathed. She let out a short laugh.

"Your stunner is behind my back," she reminded him.

"Oh…"

She shifted again and this time he knew it was deliberate. His shuddering breath hit her neck and goosebumps broke out. Her head fell to the side to allow his breath to wash over her as he leaned forward. His eyes fell closed as he breathed in her scent, deeply. He heard her let out a shaky breath in reply. Her arms slowly closed around him, keeping the stunners safe, but resting her upper arms against his. To keep herself balanced, she told herself. Will's free hand drifted away from her back, up to her front. He looked down in fascination as his hand, of its own volition, found Magnus' blouse, toying with the top button until it came undone. Her pale skin was the only thing Will could see glowing in the darkness. He let his hand fall to her side, gently grasping her waist, pressing himself further into her soft warmth. Her body fit his in a way he wasn't used to. Abby was so much shorter than Helen…

Will's eyes flew open and he suddenly wrenched himself out of her arms, stumbling backwards. Helen's body leaned forward, unconsciously trying to keep Will's heat against her even as her mind snapped to attention and her eyes opened. They both adjusted to the dim light quickly now that their minds were no longer distracted.

"Magnus!" Will yelled, not knowing what to say. She opened her mouth to speak, then clapped it shut. She needed to think before she spoke. Will watched, amazed, as her whole visage transformed in a second. He blinked and she was once again his cool, collected boss.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Look, Magnus, I'm sorry, I…"

"There's no reason to apologize. It's obvious that the nubbins are having their usual affect. We'll all just have to be careful to keep our… wits, about us."

Will snorted, nodding. Keep it in your pants. Message heard and understood.

"The pantry?" she reminded him gently. They needed to get there before the nubbins devoured it. Magnus was thankful they didn't have a taste for wine. She could deal with the loss of her fine cheeses, and imported exotic produce, but the wine would be an expensive and heart-breaking thing to replace. Her protégé nodded smartly and hefted his projector. She turned around and opened the door. The hall was lit only by the sunlight streaming in through the window on the far side. Was power down all over the building? Her mind was fully back in mission mode as she moved out. Will followed her, trying to ignore the way her skirt hugged her backside, or the fact that she hadn't re-buttoned her blouse.

20 minutes earlier

Kate and Declan walked with purpose on the way to the armoury. Kate could walk the route blindfolded and asleep. It was her favourite place in the Sanctuary. Helen and Will liked the library, Henry had his lab, Biggie had his man-cave, and Kate had the armoury. She found the act of disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling weapons to be very…zen. She could tune everything out and focus solely on making sure the bolt of the rifle was clean, the barrel of the handgun clear. It was such second nature to her that she could even let her mind wander, if needed. When she went to sleep, she immediately fell asleep. The armoury was the only place she let herself daydream. Despite her familiarity with the route to the armoury, however, she found Declan's long stride surpassing her, equally as confident. Not for the first time she wondered about Declan's past. How, when, and why had he been recruited to the Sanctuary network? He'd obviously only ever been stationed at the London branch, so how did he know so much about the Old City site? How much time had he spent here, over the years, before she even knew about the Sanctuary? She found herself wanting to find out. She liked Declan. As a friend only, of course. She was happier than ever with Garris down in Hollow Earth, but still. Kate knew she could be hard to work with, stubborn, and with a very distinct operating style. Declan was one of the few people she could work with efficiently. They made a good team.

Her musings came to a halt as they arrived at the armoury door. The pair wordlessly entered the room and gathered the appropriate supplies, one grabbing the guns while the other got the tranquilizers. Kate smiled; as she'd been thinking: a good team. Declan's hand was on the door to leave when the lights went out. Kate stopped in her tracks.

"Declan?"

"Yeah."

"Why aren't we still leaving?"

"We should get flashlights while we're here."

"Good idea."

Kate carefully turned around, trying to visualize the armoury in her mind, orient herself. The fact that the emergency backup lighting hadn't come on was rather worrying. She reached her arms out in front of her to make sure she didn't upset a shelf full of grenades or anything, but found herself touching something warm, and soft.

"Umm… Declan?" she asked again.

"Yes?" His voice was suddenly much closer.

"How'd you get over here so fast?"

"I'm ex-military, remember?"

She often did forget that fact.

"Do you even know where the flashlights are?" she asked.

There were a few seconds of silence, punctuated by their light breathing. She realized the light blue sweater he was wearing was very, very soft. Her fingers curled into it. So she could keep track of where he was she told herself. Make sure he didn't fall into those grenade shelves either.

"No, I don't know where the flashlights are," he finally admitted.

"Hmm," she mumbled in reply, nodding, though she knew he wouldn't see it. More silence. Kate thought she could hear Declan's heart beating in his sweater-clad chest. He also smelled really nice. Garris' people smelled different. Not bad by any stretch, but not exactly what she was used to.

"Do you?" he asked quietly. What a cute accent.

"Do I what?" Kate replied, slightly breathless.

"Know where the flashlights are…" he trailed off. His hands rose up to Kate's waist, holding her steady when she swayed slightly.

"You don't seem to have any on you," he said, trailing his hands over her sides and stating the glaringly obvious but keeping his voice steady. He was just conducting reconnaissance for the mission. Honestly.

"No… I don't." Her voice was barely there now, whispering. Declan could feel it on his cheeks as he bent his neck down, leaning into her…

The emergency lighting suddenly came on. Kate gasped when she saw Declan's face, so close to hers, his lips hovering mere inches from her own. Her hands flexed on his chest, and his grip on her waist tightened. In the next second they flew away from each other, stepping back as if they'd been burned.

"Woah," she said.

"Kate, I'm…" he said at the same time.

They both broke off, chuckling nervously.

"So, um, how about those nubbins, eh?" she said, looking anywhere but him.

"Yeah…" It was the first encounter with the troublesome creatures for both of them. The reports didn't do justice to the way they made you more… amenable… to suggestion. Kate's skin was warm and tingly and she felt on edge, energy coursing through her, making her want to… well, do things she shouldn't do. With Declan. Who was standing right in front of her, peering down with concerned, blue eyes.

"Let's go shoot some of them!" she exclaimed, and whirled away, barreling out the door as if she were being chased. Declan watched her retreating, jean-clad backside, and sighed.

"Right," he mumbled, and took off to catch up with her.

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><p>The nubbins didn't affect Biggie as badly as the others. His physiology was different enough that he was susceptible, or immune, to different things than the others. That being said, when he traversed the main hub of the basement lab, he paused in front of Sally the mermaid's tank. He looked over and saw her graceful, lithe body moving through the pristine water. She looked to be getting her strength back after her illness. That was good. The lights suddenly went off. He could now only see a light glow around her smooth form. She was beautiful, majestic…<p>

Biggie growled at himself and looked away. He shook his head roughly. He was feeling a bit light-headed. He growled again and stalked away.

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><p>When the lights went off, Henry sneezed. Again.<p>

_To Be Continued…_

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><p>Yes! I've done it! I've fulfilled my sacred duty as a Sanctuary Writer by posting the requisite "Nubbin" fic! And I already want to do another! So. Much. Fun. But before I do… we need to get through this one, first ;) Will the team survive! Will some frolicking mistakes be made! Will there be some surprise guests! Please share all your thoughts, likes, hates, concerns, and random tidbits about what you ate today because I'm a foodie nerd. :D<p>

MS


	2. Stoking the Fire

Well I didn't hit my review goal… … :( But because I'm so loving I decided to post this anyways! Please enjoy :)

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><p>By an incredible stroke of luck Magnus and Will managed to get to the pantry before the nubbins. There was only one thing that Magnus knew of that could distract nubbins away from food, and while she was thankful their food stores were intact, she was worried about how many nubbins would soon be swarming the area. She carefully instructed Will on where to place the sonic disruptors. They couldn't afford to wait around until the nubbins came. They had to set their defenses and hope they were strong enough to prevent an invasion of the pantry. As they set up a disruptor on a little bipedal stand, Helen realized she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. She glanced over at Will's face, furrowed in concentration, and felt something stir in her stomach. Her appetites were for something else right now.<p>

"Damnit…" she whispered, shaking her head and focusing again on the disruptor. Will looked at her.

"You ok?"

"Fine," she said brightly.

He nodded, noticing the way her dark hair fell over her wide, blue eyes as she adjusted the range level on the disruptor. His throat tightened. He needed to get out of the pantry. He didn't think he could handle anymore enclosed spaces with Magnus. The nubbin's little trick was going straight to his head and travelling swiftly downwards. He needed to work but his mind kept flitting back to the storage closet, in the dark, pressed up against Magnus' soft curves…

"Are we done?" he asked, his voice high. Magnus looked at him, her eyes narrowed. He tried to avoid her inquisitive eyes, but couldn't. She knew exactly why he wanted to move on. With a sharp nod, she stood up, leaving the device to do its work.

"Kitchen," she ordered. He jerked his head in understanding, and led the charge out of the room. Magnus' eyes followed him for a few seconds. He looked really good in those fitted jeans. The way they emphasized his cute little…

"_Kitchen!"_ she reminded herself. She walked swiftly to catch up with him.

Their journey to the kitchen was cut short by the unexpected arrival of Kate and Declan. Will had been looking at the ground as he walked and practically ran into Kate, who was doing her best to avoid looking at the man walking next to her.

"Woah!" Will cried, sidestepping the young woman.

"Oh, hey Will!" she said all too cheerily.

"William! Magnus!" Declan moved forward and clapped Will on the back enthusiastically. It didn't take a genius to figure out Declan and Kate had been having issues of their own. Magnus quickly started problem solving.

"Kate, Declan, excellent timing. I was thinking that I'd take Kate with me to check on the kitchens while you boys start a sweep outside."

A resounding chorus of agreement met her suggestion. The new teams split up and hurried to their new destinations.

"Thank you, Doc," Kate said, gratitude pouring from her voice.

"It was no problem at all," Magnus assured her. Kate glanced at her as they walked side by side.

"You've been having some, uh… troubles, too then?" Kate asked, hoping she wasn't overstepping any boundaries. Magnus made a face.

"You could say that."

"So this is your second outbreak of the little buggers. Is it any, y'know, easier the second time?"

Magnus thought back to the first time they'd encountered the nubbins. "If anything I'd say its worse this time," she grudgingly admitted.

"Awkward…" Kate breathed.

"Yeah."

The women walked silently towards the kitchens, lost in their own thoughts. The kitchen windows thankfully let in enough light for them not to need flashlights to see. They cleared the area quickly, Magnus increasingly worried. If the nubbins weren't attacking the food stores, what were they focusing on? Besides electrical systems of course. She felt a soft touch on her arm and turned, finding herself face to face with Kate's brown eyes.

"Any chance we have time for a quick snack?" the former mercenary asked.

"We need to keep moving," Magnus shook her head. "These things spread extremely fast."

A pained looked crossed Kate's face. "Please, Magnus. I can't remember the last time I ate and with all the, uh, energy, that the nubbins bring out I'm feeling a little light headed."

Magnus gave her a look.

"Plus… well, to be honest, I really need to something to distract me right now. I'll eat on the go, I promise."

Magnus licked her lips, wishing a snack would be enough to distract her from her own, stray thoughts. As she looked at Kate, her mind wandered to India, 1998. She'd been on the hunt for a rogue nephakur, but it had gotten away. She'd been on the hunt for days, and was tired, hungry, and disappointed. She'd been wandering a bazaar looking for a bite to eat when she'd run into someone. Her name was Amita. She'd looked at Magnus, the state she was in, and instantly jumped to help. She'd bought Magnus a delicious, hot meal, and then taken her back to her own home. She'd given Magnus some new clothes to replace her own, ripped outfit. She'd dressed the wounds that Magnus had sustained in the brief encounter she'd had with the nephakur before it ran away. Amita was beautiful, and if Magnus hadn't been so tired, worn down, she swore something might have happened between them. Never the less, the entire exchange had been an unexpected, genuine show of human compassion, something that Magnus rarely experienced in her line of work. She'd wanted to pay Amita back for everything, offer her a thank you of some kind, but the woman had staunchly refused. Magnus had tried to find her again when she was back in India two years later, but there was no trace of her Samaritan. She'd always regretted not being able to express her gratitude.

Magnus peered at Kate, who shifted uncomfortably at her gaze. Amita's eyes had been green, but her skin was the exact same shade as Kate's. An exotic, creamy brown that made you wonder if it tasted of spices, coffee, chocolate…

Kate took a step backward, and Magnus was shaken out of her memory.

"Sorry, my mind just wandered for a moment there," Magnus apologized. Kate nodded, wide-eyed.

"Right."

"You were saying something about a snack?"

"I'll be quick."

"I think I might join you after all."

Magnus doubted a snack would be able to keep her mind on the present situation, rather than tripping down memory lane, but it was worth a shot. In mere moments Kate had found a granola bar, and Magnus had grabbed an apple. Kate nervously ripped the wrapper down, bringing the bar up to her mouth, and then froze.

She watched as Magnus' lips closed over the bright red apple she held. Her lips spread out, barely brushing the skin before she moved closer. Kate could hear the crisp crunch of the apple as Magnus' teeth sunk into the ripe, round fruit. Magnus' eyes fluttered closed for a second as the sweet juice filled her mouth and she savoured the taste. Her lips left the apple, a bit of nectar escaping down her lip. Her pink tongue peeked out to lap it up. Her lush lips glistened as she chewed, ever so delicately. Her eyes opened, and suddenly Kate was staring into a pair of knowing, blue eyes. The young woman gulped, her mouth suddenly dry as she watched Magnus go in for another bite.

"Doc," her voice was breathless. She watched, entranced, as the doctor swallowed. She travelled the path of the apple down her long, pale neck. Her gaze travelled lower, and she frowned.

"You have a button undone."

Helen glanced down, having forgotten that Will had disrupted her blouse.

"Indeed I do."

Rationality out the window, Kate dropped her granola bar onto the counter, walking over to Magnus and reaching out.

"Let me help you," she said. She tried to concentrate on the dark buttons of her blouse, but found her vision swimming when her fingers hit incredibly soft skin. Magnus gasped lightly at the contact, her apple falling from loose fingers, hitting the ground and rolling away as her arms rose to grasp Kate's elbows. The shorter woman's fingers fumbled at the added contact, and instead of doing up a button, she somehow managed to undo another one.

"Crap," she mumbled, trying to calm her shaking fingers.

"Kate."

She looked up at Magnus' soft prompt. Her face was so close Kate could smell the apple juice on her lips. They both took in deep breaths, chests hitting as they did so.

"Magnus…" Kate breathed, leaning in closer, her eyes fluttering closed. She could feel the heat of Magnus' breath hitting her lips. They were so close… Light suddenly hit her eyelids, flooding her senses. They flew open, blinking hard against the sudden brightness.

The emergency lighting had finally kicked in.

Magnus took a step back. "Well that's good," she stated.

A pink glow started to suffuse Kate's dark skin. She didn't trust herself to speak, simply nodding, though internally she disagreed.

"Let's find Henry, see how the rest of our systems are."

Kate nodded again. Her boss turned gracefully around and clicked her way out of the kitchen. How could she be so damn stable in those heels? Kate's blush spread as she followed, admiring the way Helen's legs looked in the ridiculous, sexy shoes.

Will and Declan were in the back garden when light suddenly flared from inside the Sanctuary.

"Looks like the emergency lighting finally came on," Declan noted.

"Yeah."

They looked at each other. The light from inside joined forces with the light of the sun.

_Declan's eyes were the most incredible, steely blue…_ thought Will.

_His eyes are almost green. Incredible…_ thought Declan.

Simultaneously, their eyes went wide. Declan started to cough, looking away and hitting his chest lightly as Will turned around, scratching the back of his neck.

They needed to fix this nubbins problem, soon, or someone was going to lose their mind.

Magnus and Kate found Henry hunched over a computer in the main lab.

"Henry, how's it coming?"

He jumped at the sound of his boss' voice, turning around. Why was her blouse half undone? Why was Kate's face so red? Why were his pants suddenly so tight? He swiveled back to face his computers.

"Well I got the emergency lights back on," he started.

"We noticed," Kate grumbled.

"But I'm afraid the little nasties are rapidly making their way through all our systems."

Magnus winced. Exactly what she'd feared.

"I'm thinking they learned from the last time they broke out, passed it down to their kids or something."

Magnus nodded. "They were waylaid last time by their search for food. Their priority now is getting out of the building first."

Henry nodded his head vigorously, still refusing to turn around. He was going to be a father, for god's sake! He would not look at other women. He wouldn't!

"I've modified a stunner," he suddenly spoke. "Added a temperature control to it. It should work to help freeze the little buggers." He picked up the weapon lying on the side of the table, turning around to give it to her.

Magnus' eyes widened.

"Good work, Henry," she praised.

A goofy smile spread across his face. It was so nice when she complimented him. He stepped forward. His foot caught on the bottom of his swivel chair. He flew forward, the scanner flying. Magnus ran forward and caught it in the nick of time, just as Henry landed with a thump right at her feet.

"I'm ok!" he yelled, wondering if there was any way to regain his dignity. Probably not. He reached out to push himself up onto hands and knees, when his hand contacted Magnus foot. Her foot which was encased in the most beautiful high heel. Her foot which was enclosed within the softest pair of nylons he'd ever touched. He stared.

"Henry."

He looked up, finding himself staring straight up her skirt.

"Ack!" he squeezed his eyes shut, removing his hand from her foot, but in his haste, scratching the soft nylon. A tiny rip appeared. He gulped when he finally opened his eyes, staring down at the damage. He was a man, yes, but even he knew that once a pair of tights had a tear, they were done for. He looked into Magnus' eyes, sheepishly shrugging his apology.

"Just get back to work," she sighed. He plopped down onto his chair, exhaling loudly.

"Do you need any help here?" she asked. "Would you like Kate to stay?"

Kate narrowed her eyes at Magnus. Was she trying to get rid of her? Henry sneaked a glance backwards, looking at Kate. Dark jeans, boots, slightly ripped, layered t-shirts. Not his style. But at the same time, he so enjoyed arguing with her about music, and computers, and…

"No!" he said forcefully. "I am A-ok on my own! You two have fun!" He hunched over and set his fingers to the keyboard, working their magic.

The women looked at each other. Fun. Right.

The two teams, Magnus with Kate, and Will with Declan, continued to search for the nubbins in vain. Even Biggie wasn't able to sniff them out. Magnus feared that she'd have to start ripping into the walls of her Sanctuary to get at them. Not only could they work as an organized team, but they were smart, learning as they went. She could not allow them to get free. Besides the immediate danger to Old City, there were also the internal issues that were springing up. The nubbins were obviously having a strong impact on her and her team. They were all distracted and increasingly short with each other. Everyone understood the magnitude of the situation, but the clouding of their minds was getting worse with each passing minute. Magnus feared that the tension would soon erupt, and permanent damage could occur. She needed to come up with a way for them all to release their tension in a safe way. She came to a decision. She didn't really like it, but it was better than the thought of some of her teammates tearing the clothes of one another. Most of them were in committed relationships; she didn't want that burden on their consciences, no matter the circumstances, or outside influence. She called for Kate to stop her perusal of the side-table that rested against the wall of the hallway they were currently investigating.

Magnus brought her radio to her mouth.

"Will, Declan."

A second later Will's voice crackled back.

"Magnus?"

"Could you please meet us in the main lobby?"

"…Are you sure?"

"Yes, stop whatever it is you're doing. We all need to have a talk."

Will gulped and glanced at Declan, who frowned, just as curious as he was.

"See you there in 10."

"Ditto," sounded Henry's voice.

Biggie's voice joined the conversation, grunting his acknowledgment.

Precisely 10 minutes later the team was gathered. They were silent as Magnus spoke, but their behavior spoke volumes. They shuffled their feet, switching their weight from foot to foot. Their breathing was shallow, and their eyes never stayed on the same spot for long. Hands fidgeted with weapons, pockets, anything they could lay their hands on. She needed to ensure those hands stayed to themselves.

"As we are all aware," Magnus began, "The nubbins seem to have evolved their strategies for escape. This unfortunately means our search is taking longer than anticipated. This has left us all feeling rather… out of sorts."

A chorus of shuffling and mutters greeted her pronouncement.

"I thought of calling our friend Sophie back to try understand the current thoughts of the nubbins, but unfortunately she's currently visiting a friend in Australia. It would take far too long for her to get here. If we haven't found the nubbins in that length of time, I fear we never would."

More agreement.

"That being said, I think we need to take a little time to refocus ourselves."

Curious eyes looked up at her.

"We all need to release some of the tension that currently plagues us."

Nervous eyes looked around at each other.

"Everyone is going to take half an hour to work themselves out. Most of you have some kind of exercise equipment in your rooms. I would normally suggest the gym, but I don't think everyone being there at the same time would work out very well."

Images of sweaty coworkers clad in tight gym wear popped into her head and she coughed.

"Go to your rooms," she commanded, wincing as the clichéd words came out of her mouth. "Work this off. If it doesn't work, well…" The breathing rate of the room increased. "Do what you have to do. Alone."

_We're all adults here,_ Magnus thought as her people looked embarrassed. And they were all in the same boat. This was a much better solution than letting them continue working side-by-side in such strained conditions.

"See you back here in half an hour," she finished, then paused. "I won't be upset if you take 45," she added. Without another word she walked away, hurrying to the elevator. While they were all busy in their rooms she would go down to the pool level. The clean water always served to refresh and putting her body through some hard laps would hopefully burn off some energy.

The change room was large, with cupboards lining the top of the walls, and benches ringing the bottom. She placed her radio on the bench then reached up to her personal cubby to extract a bathing suit when she heard a noise. Turning around her heart dropped as she saw Declan enter the room, towel in hand. He stopped short when he saw her.

"Magnus!"

"Declan…"

_To Be Continued..._

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><p>So what's going to happen NOW ;) MS<p> 


	3. Ignition

**A/N:** HAPPY THANKSGIVING to my American friends and readers!

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><p><em>Previously, on "Love Potion"<em>

The change room was large, with cupboards lining the top of the walls, and benches ringing the bottom. She placed her radio on the bench then reached up to her personal cubby to extract a bathing suit when she heard a noise. Turning around her heart dropped as she saw Declan enter the room, towel in hand. He stopped short when he saw her.

"Magnus!"

"Declan…"

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><p><p>

The two heads of house stood silent as their minds raced, wondering what to say.

"I can go somewhere else," Declan offered. Magnus was filled with relief, thankful for his gentlemanly offering.

"No, it's fine. You're already here." Wait a second… that's not what she'd meant to say! "I wouldn't want you to waste more of your half hour getting to the gym."

She should have realized his guest quarters didn't have any fitness equipment. Declan took a few tentative steps forward. She reached up and closed the cupboard housing her bathing suit. He came closer. Before she knew it he was standing barely a foot away from her. She could smell his aftershave. The same one he'd always used. He was a stickler for tradition, as was she.

When he spoke, his voice was low, and charming as ever.

"You said we could take 45 minutes."

She swallowed; eyes flickering to his lips then back to his eyes again. Heat emanated off his tall, strong body. She took a step back but her legs hit the bench behind her.

"Declan," she warned.

"Helen."

He crowded her further so that she was forced to grab hold of his arms, or fall down onto the bench. His soft sweater had been pulled back to his elbows so all she felt was skin. Their breath mingled as he leaned into her.

"I have an idea," he spoke quietly.

"Oh?" she whispered.

"A very, very good way to release some tension."

Her stomach knotted and her legs trembled.

"Declan, please, we…"

"Have done this before," he grinned. Her insides flared in memory. Did he realize that for her that had been over a century ago? "We agreed it could happen, from time to time." She ground her teeth together. She'd wondered how long it would take for him to bring that up. She'd certainly never forgotten it. It would be so good to feel him in that way again. "And as I'm the only man in your Sanctuary who's not in a relationship, and am of the same species…"

She had to admit his logic was sound. His hips connected with hers, rotating gently against her. She groaned against her will. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her against him.

"Helen," he whispered against her ear. "Please."

The desire, the need in his voice undid her. A high-pitched noise escaped her throat, and her hands flew to his face, turning it towards her. Their mouths clashed in a desperate release, immediately opening for tongues to tangle. He groaned as the taste of Helen Magnus filled his mouth for the first time in far too long. Her arms quickly moved to his shoulders, crushing his chest against her breasts, needing to feel as of his body against hers as possible. He grabbed her hips in his large hands, grinding the evidence of his arousal against her, making her whimper, her nails digging into his back. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck, kissing the soft skin as his hands moved to her waist, grasping her blouse and wrenching it out of her skirt. His fingers made their way under her shirt, both of them moaning at the feel of each other. Helen's own hands followed his path, running down his back and dipping underneath Declan's sweater. Her palms ran over his abdomen, tracing the muscles, which quivered under her touch. She left his hot skin, her hands moving down to squeeze his ass, his hips jerking into hers as she did so.

Declan pulled back, his eyes wild as he shuddered to find breath. She returned his gaze, eyes clouded with lust. He grabbed her hips roughly and pushed her down. She fell to the bench with a cry of surprise, the radio flying across the floor as she looked up at him through her dark eyelashes. He growled, grabbing her by the hair and leaning over to kiss her fiercely once more. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him between her legs, stretched as far as they could within her skirt. He leaned forward as she fell back onto the bench, seamlessly allowing him to move on top of her. He kept one hand in her hair as the other moved to her exposed thigh. His eyes narrowed, and he bit down on her tongue as his fingers skimmed over nylons. She moaned and moved a hand to cover his, guiding him to the delicate material covering her thighs. It was suddenly too tight, too constricting. He took her suggestion and ran with it, clenching hard and ripping, tearing a large hole in her hose. He groped at the newly revealed skin for a moment before breaking away from her mouth. She heaved in deep breaths, her purple lace bra and full breasts peeking out through the open half of her blouse as her chest moved up and down with desire

His eyes stayed locked on hers as he reached both hands up her skirt. His fingers curled around the top of her nylons and with a swift move, he tore the rest of them off. Her shoes clattered to the ground as the force of his pull shot all the way to her feet. He massaged her thighs roughly, remembering how they felt wrapped around his waist. A hand slipped forward encountering lace-covered heat.

"Declan," she moaned, arching her back as he rubbed his palm between her legs. He launched himself back to her mouth, stretching out on top of her, his weight pushing her into the bench. Her hands shot to his jeans, popping the button and unzipping them in a flash, her hand dipping in to feel his hardness through his boxers. He moved against her as his hand found its way under the scrap of lace she wore, finding her hot and ready. She slid both hands under his waistband, pushing down. They awkwardly worked together to pull his jeans off as he refused to pull his hand from beneath her skirt. Once the offending trousers were on the floor, he suddenly gathered both her hands in one of his, larger hands. He grasped her tight, her arms careening above her head to hit the bench, trapped in his vice-like grip. She grinned, feral, up at him, twisting about though she realized it was futile, knowing he liked it when she squirmed.

"There you go," he approved, his voice deep and loud in the empty room. She bucked her hips against his hand, pushing his arm up to hit between his own legs. His mouth fell open. He thrust a finger inside her and she cried out. Her hands moved to the edge of his boxers, pulling down…

"MAGNUS!"

Will's voice echoed from the radio and slammed into them.

"Magnus!" Will repeated, his voice pitched with excitement. " I've found one of their hiding spots! Hurry! There's dozens of them!"

Helen groaned, her face crumpling. Declan looked down at her desperately. He started to remove his hand, but she squeezed, keeping him in place.

"Helen," he said helplessly. She moaned angrily, grabbing his face and reclaiming his lips. Their mouths dueled for a few moments more, but their hearts weren't in it, passion already beaten down by good conscience. They slowed down, finally pulling apart. Will's voice was now concerned, asking if anyone knew where Helen or Declan were.

"Damnit," she said in a small voice. With a heaving sigh, Declan moved off of her, and stood up. Her mouth watered at the bulge in his shorts. She'd been so close! Declan looked around for a sink, forgetting the bathrooms were in the next room. He finally brought his hand to his mouth, licking her essence off of his fingers. Magnus looked away, biting her lip, hard. She finally stood up, smoothing down her skirt over shaky legs and walking to pick up the radio.

"I found Declan," she said in what she hoped was a steady voice.

"Magnus!" Will's relief was palpable. "I've got Kate and Biggie here. I think Henry managed to get Erika on Skype, so he might be another few minutes…"

_So he gets a romp and I don't? _She groused as she looked around for her shoes. She put them on with a little more force than necessary. She knew she was acting mulish, but damnit! She'd had one single day of sex in the last god-knows how many years. Could she not have 45 minutes!

"We'll be there soon," she said curtly, shutting the radio off to spite him. It was amazing how hormones could change a person's behavior. She glared at Declan with furrowed brows. It was his fault she was in this state in the first place. She watched as he gingerly did up his jeans, and she softened. It wasn't his fault, it was the nubbins. He was just as much a victim as she. He felt her gaze, and looked up at her.

"Helen…"

She sighed. "I know."

They finished dressing, not bothering to tuck in their shirts. Magnus was relatively sure her team would be rather rumpled as well. She tossed her ruined nylons in the garbage bin on the way out.

Several minutes later, under the guidance of Will, Magnus and Declan came upon a war zone. Unconscious nubbins were strewn about the floor as her protoge and the big guy kept shooting. They'd corralled a herd of the creatures into a dead-end, but there was a little alcove against the wall, off to the side. The nubbins had holed up in there, but every so often, a brave one would peek around the corner. Will and Biggie were ready when they did.

"Kate's gone to get a disruptor," Will told her, his face rapt in concentration. He was feeling marginally better. He'd worked out for a bit and then called Abby. Hearing her voice had both energized and calmed him. Of course he'd have rather had her in the Sanctuary with him, but… he felt confident he could wait until he next saw her. He hoped. "We're wondering if with their change in strategy they also managed to somehow alter their warning tone. We want to keep some of these guys conscious so we can figure out the new one and blast 'em."

Just then Henry came running around the corner.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" he asked cheerfully. He found himself hit with two very stern, British glares.

"We have a new plan," Magnus ground out. She nodded sharply at Will, and he explained. Magnus was uncomfortably warm and had to fight hard to resist the urge to itch her neck. She could feel moisture there, still drying from Declan's lips. She could still feel his lips on hers, his hands… She suddenly whirled to face the wall, and slammed her fist into it. The wall shuddered.

Will stopped mid-sentence to stare at her in shock. She took a deep breath and turned around to see her team eyeing her warily. She didn't even bother plastering a fake-smile on her face.

"Please, Will, continue."

He frowned at her, his eyes telling her they'd be talking about her outburst later. He quickly finished his report to Henry.

Kate arrived at the scene a minute later and immediately sensed something was off. Magnus refused to look anyone in the eye, and everyone else kept tossing nervous glances towards her.

"I got the disruptor," she said, offering the device to Henry, who had a small smirk on his face. She worked with a crazy bunch of people that was for sure. She missed them. She wouldn't, however, give up her work in Hollow Earth. She found it challenging, interesting, and rewarding. Then of course, there was Garris. She wished he was here right now. She'd spent her free time working out, hard. It always helped to clear her mind. It worked this time too… sort of.

The team quickly determined the new panic-frequency for the nubbins. Magnus deployed her team separately to seek out the already-placed disruptors and change the frequency. Biggie would be on guard at the nubbins' enclosure. He'd already patched up the hole that they'd gnawed and escaped through. Henry would go to his lab and keep working on restoring main power. Magnus would check out the building and make sure no stray nubbins escaped the sonic sweep. She hoped some did. She needed to shoot something. Badly.

Thirty minutes later she hadn't found a single, bloody thing. She was thankful she hadn't run into any of her employees this time because her mood had steadily plummeted. She worried that she might hurt the next moving thing she saw. Or rip their clothes off. Neither was acceptable. She tried to figure out why her behavior was so extreme. She'd been affected by the pheromones previously, but not like this. She was wired, tense, and ready to blow at any second. She was currently traversing the main floor, having swiftly swept through the basement levels. The bright sun filling the main foyer did nothing to alleviate her temper.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

_You've got to be kidding_! Helen growled, altering her course to stalk towards the large double doors. She never thought to wonder at who could have got past the security at the front gate. She breathed deep and wrenched it open, ready to lay into whoever was on the other side. Instead, her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

_To be continued…_

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><p>Muahahahaaa. If you guys are nice I'll post the next chapter tomorrow ;)<p> 


	4. Fireworks

**A/N:** Ok folks, here's the one "**M**" rated chapter I warned you all about ;) Time to find out if all your predictions were correct! If you're not a fan of the pairing… simply skip this chapter and continue with the next one, as there are still MORE surprise guests to come, and team fun to be had

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><p><em>Previously on Love Potion…<em>

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

_You've got to be kidding_! Helen growled, altering her course to stalk towards the large double doors. She never thought to wonder at who could have got past the security at the front gate. She breathed deep and wrenched it open, ready to lay into whoever was on the other side. Instead, her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

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><p>"Charlotte!"<p>

"Surprise!" Charlotte grinned with a little wave. "I was at a conference in Seattle, and figured I'd take a little detour to drop by and say hi! You've certainly got a nice place here… wow." Helen stared slack-jawed while the brunette rambled nervously. "Sorry to just bust in like this; I was at the front entrance and was going to call ahead, but then I touched the gate and it just opened so I figured…"

"Damn," Helen muttered. The nubbins had gotten further through the electrical systems than she'd thought.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte stuttered, thinking the comment was directed at her. "Maybe this was a bad idea… I can just go," she said, starting to turn around.

Helen's head whipped up to look into Charlotte's brown eyes. "No!" she shouted, making Charlotte jump. Helen cringed. "I'm sorry, Charlotte, I'm being incredibly rude, please do come in." She ushered the professor inside, taking note of the small suitcase that she was carrying. In the few seconds it took to get Charlotte inside and close the door Helen also became all too aware of Charlotte's tight-fitting jeans and tailored, short-sleeved pink top. Charlotte's perfume was subtle, gently tickling Helen's nose and alighting her already haywire nerves. Magnus licked her lips.

"It's good to see you, Helen," Charlotte smiled, reaching out and touching Helen's arm. Magnus gasped at the contact, looking down to where Charlotte's slim fingers were on her skin, the touch electric. Charlotte frowned, finally noticing the flush of Helen's face, her quick breathing, her frayed hair, and the fact that her blouse was un-tucked and had the first few buttons undone.

"Are you ok?" Charlotte asked carefully.

Helen's wide eyes flew back to Charlotte's, a pained look on her face.

"Charlotte…" she breathed, her voice strained.

Charlotte's hand drifted from Helen's arm up to her face, touching her cheek gently.

"What's wrong?" the professor asked.

"Oh God..." Helen choked, her face crumpling. In the blink of an eye Charlotte's back was against the door, her body pinned by Helen's as the doctor's hands held her head still, crushing her lips to hers.

"Woah!" Charlotte's voice was muffled against Helen's mouth. Charlotte's hands flew to Helen's shoulders, trying to get her to back off just a few inches so she could breathe but the doctor was having none of it, pushing her harder into the door. Charlotte moaned helplessly as Helen's breasts crushed against hers and their tongues tangled with force. Charlotte was instantly lost, her hands grabbing at the buttons of Helen's blouse, fumbling until they were undone. Charlotte's hand slipped under the open shirt, running her hands over Helen's skin. A sound escaped the back of Helen's throat and she gripped Charlotte's hair tight.

"Holy crap!" Henry yelled.

The man's voice cut through Helen's lust-addled brain like she'd been doused in water. Not again! She gasped and pulled back, releasing her frenzied grip on Charlotte and stumbling back a few steps. Helen's chest was heaving, sweat already forming on her red face as she turned to see Will and Henry standing at the end of the hallway into the main lobby, slack-jawed and shocked. Charlotte's arms wrapped around herself protectively as she tried to shrink back into the door, biting down on her lip, embarrassed beyond belief, but breathing almost as hard.

"Um… Magnus?" Will finally broke the thick silence.

"Will! Henry!" her voice was high pitched and much too chirpy, her discomfort blatant. She looked down, rapidly assessing, and finally decided to just let her open blouse be. Bringing more attention to it would probably only make things more awkward. They had seen enough already, she couldn't try hiding it.

"You want to, uh, introduce us to your… friend?"

Magnus swallowed heavily, hand reaching up to brush some errant bangs back.

"Right," she said, turning towards Charlotte, whose head was still bowed. "This is Dr. Charlotte Benoit, co-chair of virology at Yale." Charlotte steeled herself and raised her head, looking at the two men who were still staring, shell-shocked.

"Charlotte, this is Henry Foss, my technology specialist, and Will Zimmerman, my second in command." The professor managed a grimace of a smile and an awkward wave as the men nodded at her. "I met Ms. Benoit on Grande Comore last month, when I went to meet Feliz?"

Her employees nodded before silence descended once again, feet shuffling as the men tried to remember what they'd meant to tell Magnus.

"We just caught the nubbins who got into the wiring. In fact, we think we've pretty much got them all," Will finally reported.

Magnus paused. How had they managed to find several swarms of nubbins while she hadn't seen a single thing? Had she been so wrapped up in her personal issues that she'd overlooked something? If so, she had endangered her team, her Sanctuary, Old City itself, by being so…distracted. "So the situation is under control?" she asked, needing assurance. The nubbins must have cut power to the gate a while ago. She was lucky only Charlotte had made it through. Henry had obviously just missed fixing it in time.

"Well the, y'know, Nubbin-juice will be floating around for a while yet, but… we're good," said Henry.

"Excellent, well done."

Henry grinned.

"But you can't be too sure," Will butted in, elbowing Henry in the side. "So Henry and I are going to go do a final sweep, confirm there's no strays." Henry frowned at Will, and then looked between his boss and the professor. Magnus was practically vibrating in her heels, and Charlotte kept darting furtive glances at her, wringing her hands.

"Right…" Henry nodded slowly. "We're going to go… uh… confirm."

Magnus smiled tightly as the men turned around and all but ran away down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

"Oh my god," Charlotte groaned, her hands coming up to cover her face. "That was more awkward than when I was 17 and my mom caught me and Andrew Crossland in the bathroom at Thanksgiving…"

Magnus laughed. "I certainly haven't been caught like that in… well, a very, very long time. My heart is racing!"

Charlotte's eyes glanced towards Helen's chest. Charlotte couldn't help it if her gaze happened to rest on Helen's impressive, purple, lace-covered bosom. Helen coughed lightly.

"What are nubbins?" Charlotte blurted as she tore her gaze away.

"Little furry animals that emit powerful pheromones."

Charlotte's mind quickly caught on. "Pheromones," she repeated. Helen bit her bottom lip, shifting her stance and nodding. Charlotte realized her mind was a bit hazy, like she'd had a few drinks and was very pleasantly buzzed. Her skin was tingling, and the scent of Helen invaded her senses.

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Charlotte breathed, looking intensely into Helen's eyes, her hand rising to play with her soft, dark hair. Magnus wasted no time. Her employees were smart enough to know what was going on, and had given her the out she needed.

"Bedroom," she stated bluntly. Charlotte nodded eagerly and bent to grab her suitcase, but Helen reached out and grabbed Charlotte's hand, pulling her back.

"Leave it," she commanded, then took off down the hallway towards the elevator, heels clicking as she pulled Charlotte in tow.

Down a few hallways, Will stopped walking suddenly. It took Henry a few seconds to realize his friend was no longer at his side. He stopped and turned around to see Will with a dazed, unfocused look on his face. Henry understood. For the life of him, he couldn't get the image out of his mind. Helen Magnus, the woman he'd known his whole life, had practically raised him, looked at him now as a friend and coworker, locked passionately with…a woman.

"Do you think they're…" he started to say, but trailed off. Will looked up at him.

"Definitely. That was no first kiss."

Henry nodded. Wow. This could get awkward. He'd seen Magnus in a relationship before, but never with a woman. He'd never thought about it before, but it made sense that at her age and experience she wouldn't be content with only men. It made him respect her even more. He knew Will would feel the same. But still, to have the evidence smack you in the face was a bit much. In a "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen" kind of way. Now he had images of the two women on the remote island, lounging on a sunlight beach, not another soul in sight as they… Oh god! Will's thoughts travelled a similar path, but suddenly a light went off in his head.

"Hang out!" Will cried.

"What?"

"Don't you remember? Magnus called me from Grand Comore saying she was going to stay for a little longer to 'hang out'"

"Oh right," the bells went off in Henry's head. "So by hanging out, she really meant…" The men's faces fell.

"I'm never going to be able to hear that phrase again," Will swore.

"Can we please get back to work now?" Henry pleaded. He needed distraction, immediately. Will, still looking dazed, nodded emphatically.

Without another word Henry turned around, subtly adjusting his jeans, not knowing Will was doing the same behind him. They set off on their hunt wishing their respective girlfriends could conveniently show up.

They threw themselves into their task, hoping that by the time they were finished, the pheromones would have worn off.

They hadn't.

After ensuring the Sanctuary was indeed free and clear, the two men found themselves in Henry's lab, the werewolf attempting to write a report, but really just pushing random keys. Will wandered about picking up bits and pieces of equipment, and every so often turning around to subtly adjust his jeans. He was sure he was imagining it, but he swore he could hear thumping coming from one of the floors above.

Helen and Charlotte fell into the bedroom, slamming the door behind as Charlotte reached forward to grab Helen's blouse, pushing it back and off her shoulders.

"Don't have any concealed guns, knives, or baseball bats in your skirt this time?" Charlotte joked as she reached around to unzip Helen's skirt. Her fingers hit metal, and she froze. She looked into Helen's eyes, and the older woman shrugged. Very carefully, Charlotte's fingers curled around the cool metal, pulling out a slick, black handgun. She stared at it for a second before her eyes rose up to meet Helen's.

"I'll explain later," Helen promised, and then grabbed Charlotte's pink shirt. She gripped it hard then pulled her hands away from each other, ripping Charlotte's shirt open, buttons flying as the professor gasped. Helen grinned at her through hooded eyes, took back her gun, hastily making sure the safety was on before tossing it to the floor, and then pulled the ruined shirt off, throwing it aside. Her hands went to Charlotte's shoulders, and she shoved. The professor stumbled before regaining her footing, glaring at Helen for a moment, though heat was in her eyes. Charlotte had no idea what she'd just walked into. Helen stalked forward as Charlotte turned and jogged to Helen's king-size bed, reaching the side before pausing to undo her jeans and shimmy out of them. Helen's clothes disappeared as she walked forward so that she was clad only in her dark, purple lingerie and high heels when she arrived at Charlotte's side. She took the professor in her arms, hoisting her up and dumping her backwards onto the bed. Charlotte quickly removed her bra and panties while Helen shucked her shoes and climbed up after her.

Helen lunged forward, a hand curving around Charlotte's neck as she claimed her mouth, Charlotte's tongue reaching out to meet hers halfway. They kissed hard and fast, Helen's head pushing hers back into the plush pillows. Charlotte's arms wound around Helen, feeling the silky, soft skin of her back and the play of muscles in her shoulders as they kissed, giving in to the urge to scratch her nails down her back, making Helen arch her back and moan. Nimble fingers quickly unhooked Helen's bra, tossing it aside before Charlotte suddenly bucked up, throwing Helen to the side. Charlotte moved on top of her, grinning at Helen's dark chuckle before diving down to take a taut, bare nipple into her mouth.

"Yes," Helen moaned as she felt teeth on her sensitive skin. Charlotte sucked hard on Helen's skin, leaving bright, pink marks, and imprints of teeth.

"Christ," Helen groaned as the younger woman left her breasts to move down her stomach.

"I like your belly piercing," remarked Charlotte as she took the simple, silver piercing in between her teeth, playing with it before dipping her tongue into Helens' belly button.

"I like your tattoo," commented Helen before grabbing Charlotte's hair and pushing her down. Charlotte's face hovered in front of Helen's lace clad sex. She nudged her nose against the material, finding it soaking wet.

"You smell good," Charlotte said in a low voice, inhaling deeply before pressing her mouth open against her, breathing out hot air. Helen writhed, every sensation heightened by the hormones that were raging through her body. Charlotte's hand darted forward, fingers sliding underneath the scrap of lace. In a single move she ripped the material off. Helen cried out her approval, reaching down and grabbing Charlotte, hauling her upwards. Their chests met skin to skin as Helen kissed her frantically.

"Charlotte, darling," she moaned between kisses.

Charlotte moaned back; she would rather kiss than talk.

"You remember on the island, what you said that night?"

Blood pounded in Charlotte's ears, thoughts not connecting, focused only on the taste and feel of Helen's delectable lips. Helen's right hand left Charlotte's hair and slid sideways across the bed, hitting the side-table then fumbling around for a second before she found a drawer handle.

"Charlotte!" she finally barked, voice full of authority. Charlotte pulled back, her eyes glazed and frowning.

"What?" she demanded annoyed at being separated from Helen for even a moment.

"You lamented our lack of supplies," Helen reminisced. Charlotte nodded as the memory started to seep in. With her left hand, Helen cupped Charlotte's cheek and guided her to look at the open drawer of her nightstand. Charlotte's eyes went wide, and she gulped.

"No lack of supplies here," Helen stated. The drawer was full of every sex toy Charlotte had ever used, plus many she'd never seen. Bottles of various lubricants were scattered throughout. Helen glanced over at the drawer, rifling her hand through it before finding what she was looking for. She purposely skipped the lubricant; she was more than ready. She withdrew the device and held it up to Charlotte. The Hitachi Magic Wand was one of Helen's favourite vibrators. She didn't think she could wait to get a proper strap-on on Charlotte; that could happen later.

"You told me what you would do to me if you had the proper instruments." Helen's voice was shaking with arousal. "How you would do something until I, 'went blind' I believe it was." Charlotte nodded.

"Well here's your chance." Helen placed the device in Charlotte's hand. The professor took hold of it, grasping it tight. With her other hand she took hold of Charlotte's hair, tugging her head sharply to the side, making her wince. Helen rose up until her lips hovered right beside the young woman's ear.

"_Fuck_ me," she growled.

The words hit Charlotte like a physical force, her breath leaving her as if she'd been struck. She gaped down at Helen's wild eyes and felt heat flood her body, pooling between her legs. She ripped the vibrator from Helen's hand, dropping it to the bed beside her before grabbing Helen's wrists. She flung them above Helen's head, her dark eyes daring Helen to move them.

"If you don't want me to move, you better tie me down," Helen hissed. Charlotte smirked darkly and Helen's heart skipped a beat. Charlotte reached over and opened the second drawer of the side table, finding exactly what she'd predicted would be there. She eyed the metal handcuffs but settled for the silk ties. She'd have Helen thrashing, and didn't want to actually damage her. Magnus moved to sit up, wanting to see what Charlotte was doing, but the professor placed a hand on Magnus' chest and shoved her back down.

"Wait," commanded Charlotte. Helen glared at her again. She'd been waiting to get some all day. She was through with waiting. She ignored Charlotte's warning and reached up, running her hands along the surface of the headboard. Her fingers quickly found what she was looking for, and she pushed in. A small ring popped forward out of the wood. Charlotte saw it and shook her head, laughed, and slammed the drawer shut. Within moments Helen's hands were tied together and secured to the metal ring. Helen looked at Charlotte.

"If you even think about tying my legs up, I promise I will kick you so hard off this bed, you won't be able to get up."

Charlotte gulped. Her mind travelled back to the island, being shoved down into a chair, Nicolls' knife pressed against her throat. Helen had rescued her, yes, but she remembered the doctor's strong arms wrapped around the blonde woman's neck, squeezing the life right out of her. You'd be a fool not to fear Helen Magnus. Charlotte had no doubt the older woman could dispatch her before she knew what was happening. She quickly steeled herself, suddenly wanting to prove, if only to herself, that she could stand up to her.

"You wanna be fucked, huh?" she asked, stroking her hands firmly along Helen's thighs. The woman's creamy skin was burning, Charlotte's touch igniting it further. Knowing completion was near, Helen was already lost to words, nodding her head vigorously in reply. Charlotte picked up the dildo, inspecting it for a moment before turning it on. Helen's eyes grew even wider, and she licked her lips.

"I suppose that could be arranged."

Charlotte kept the device in her hand as she spread Helen's legs wider apart. The vibrations from the one hand hit Helen like a lightning bolt, her leg jumping at its touch as she gasped. Charlotte touched the humming device to Helen's knee, trailing it slowly upwards towards its goal.

"Charlotte," Helen gasped, finding her voice, though it was high-pitched and strangled. "_Please_!"

Without further ado Charlotte took the long, thick vibrator and slammed it into Helen, pushing it as far as she could in one, single thrust. Helen's back arched, arms flailing in their bonds as she let loose a scream. "Oh GOD!" The ache that had been plaguing her all day exploded into an inferno of pleasure. Charlotte put her whole body behind her thrusts, twisting her body so her hips and shoulders propelled her arm forward, pounding into Helen's wet center. Helen cried out with every move, not bothering to reign in her hoarse shouts as her pussy stretched to accommodate the thick, hard shaft. Sweat covered her and her arms ached in their confinement.

Helen's extra-heightened senses could smell Charlotte's own arousal, already making her thighs glisten though Helen hadn't touched her yet. The young woman suddenly twisted her wrist as she plunged between Helen's pink lips, and Helen squealed, her right leg flying up to press her knee between Charlotte's legs. The professor's body rocked at the surprise pleasure, her hand faltering as her eyes rolled back in her head, mewling and grinding herself against Helen's knee.

"Here," Helen breathed, lowering her leg abruptly so Charlotte fell, sitting just above her knee. With another quick move, Helen bent her knee again, causing Charlotte to glide forward and down her thigh. The professor moaned as her slick pussy slid along Helen's soft, smooth skin. Charlotte took a moment to enjoy the new sensation before opening her eyes and removing her hand from the vibrator, leaving it still moving inside Helen. She then lay a hard slap on Helen's other thigh, punishment for moving when she wasn't supposed to. The doctor's eyes flew open to meet Charlotte's, so dark the blue was almost black. Charlotte was in control this time. She slapped her again, her skin stinging red, and Helen groaned appreciatively. "Yes!"

Charlotte's hand moved back to the device embedded between Helen's folds, picking up the pace with renewed fervor as she ground herself against Helen's thigh. She suddenly leaned down, inhaling deeply.

"I can smell him," Charlotte growled. "A man. Someone else has been touching you."

Helen watched, fascinated, as the demure young woman transformed into an alpha. She touched Helen everywhere she could, hands, teeth, and tongue erasing any trace of Declan, staking her own claim. Charlotte's hand shook against the dildo in the effort to keep her grip tight as her pleasure mounted, angling her hips so her clit rubbed against Helen's skin, spurred on by the incredible sounds the doctor was making.

"Is this what you wanted?" Charlotte asked hotly, twisting her wrist again.

"Hell yes," Helen groaned gutturally in return, unabashedly running her free leg up and down Charlotte's.

"Harder!" she demanded. Charlotte complied, leaning down again to taste the skin at Helen's neck, biting down hard.

"More!" Helen demanded again.

"You do like to give orders, don't you," Charlotte said huskily. The little furry hellions had done their job. Charlotte had never felt more uninhibited, her senses on fire. Helen's eyes fluttered open into dark slits.

"You up for the task?"

"So long as you can give as much as you take."

"You just wait."

"What if someone refuses to obey?"

Charlotte suddenly stopped all movement. Helen's eyes grew wide and took on a panicked look. Damn Charlotte for having the guts to stand up to her! This was not the time or place for it.

"Charlotte!"

The professor sensed her need and started to move again, leaning down to give Helen a quick kiss before skimming her lips over Helen's ear.

"You like to be fucked, don't you," she whispered, biting down on the edge of Magnus' earlobe.

"I like having you in my bed," Helen shot back. "Naked and… god… sweating…"

"You want to touch me?" Charlotte teased, sitting back so Helen could see her, but not touch. Helen gritted her teeth, pulling at her bonds, but Charlotte had tied them tight.

"When these come off…" Helen warned.

Charlotte laughed and temporarily left her perch on Helen's leg, sliding down her body. Her hot tongue ventured forward to find Helen's clit, licking her roughly before covering it with her mouth and sucking hard. Helen hips arched as she thrust her hips towards the wand with unrestrained abandon, surrendering herself completely to the pleasure of it. Humming vibrations spiraled out of the device, cascading over her, transforming her body into a conduit of undulating, erotic sensation. The younger woman left her clit all too soon, resuming her position against Helen's leg. The sensual, cool feel of the silk ties binding Helen's wrists contrasted at every moment against the pain they caused. After being wound so tight, for so long, Helen was like a wild thing unleashed, and quickly found herself spiraling towards completion, sweat matting her hair against her scalp as tears of pleasure leaked across her face. Charlotte rose along with her, gripping Helen's hip with bruising force, nails raking across her skin. The bed shook beneath them. Though Charlotte hadn't been subjected to the effect of the nubbins for as long, she wasn't used to combating their effects. The fact that she was also still completely in awe of Helen, the older woman begging and sobbing beneath her, was more than Charlotte could handle.

When Helen's back suddenly arched, her full breasts thrusting into the air as she struggled against her restraints, screaming out her orgasm, Charlotte followed suit. Her body fell on top of Helen's, mouth latching onto a pert nipple and biting down to muffle her own scream as her hand left the vibrator, digging into Helen's other hip and squeezing as shockwaves of climax rocked through her. She shook and trembled till her arms could no longer support her, falling heavily onto Magnus' soft body, breathing in the smell of sweat, sex, and Helen.

For a few moments Charlotte thought she might pass out. Then she realized Helen was whimpering. It was a sound she never thought she'd hear from the enigmatic doctor. Charlotte wearily raised her head, looking at Helen's face with concern. The older woman's features were screwed up, her mouth curved into an "o" shape. Charlotte frowned, shifting her body to move up Helen's and ask what was wrong, when she felt it.

She'd forgotten the vibrator inside Helen. Charlotte glanced down, seeing the woman's hips slowly rotating, trying to shift the device to hit _that_ spot as its gentle humming washed through her. Looking back up at Helen, she was mesmerized. The woman was too beautiful for words. Charlotte leaned up and gazed down at her.

"Till you can't breathe," she whispered, and took Helen's mouth in hers, claiming her tongue with her own in a fierce, sensual battle. Words were lost as her hand drifted down Helen's stomach to between her thighs, rubbing over her clit before delving into her wet folds. The wand slipped between her fingers, slick with Helen's arousal, so she just used her palm to shove it further into her. Helen's breath hitched, trying to pull in air through her nose as Charlotte kissed her senseless. Charlotte's other hand moved up to Helen's soft breasts, squeezing, pinching her nipples without mercy. When Helen came again barely minutes later, her lover swallowed her keening wail, continuing to play her body until Helen was shaking and crying again, unable to handle any more. When Charlotte finally pulled back, Helen's gasp was deep and loud, sucking in breath desperately, at the point of blacking out from the lack of it.

Charlotte fell to the bed beside her, almost as spent from the effort of doing to Helen what she'd done. She quickly reached up and undid Helen's restraints, taking her wrists in her hands and gently massaging them. It took a long while for the women to calm, their bodies to stop quaking. When they finally did, Charlotte rolled onto her side to face Helen, discovering her face still flushed, her eyes still glazed.

"Well shit!" Charlotte stated. She wasn't usually prone to harsh language, but felt the situation more than warranted it. Helen's body shook with laughter.

"Indeed…"

Charlotte gently cleared Helen's face of damp, sticky hair before she took up the dark strands that were spread across the pillow, stroking it softly. Her other hand moved to Helen's waist. She couldn't stop touching her. Helen quite agreed, draping an arm across Charlotte's waist as well, and leaning in to kiss her softly.

"That was exactly what I needed," she murmured against Charlotte's kiss swollen lips.

"Glad I was around to help."

"Me too."

They continued to kiss for a while, giving each other the affectionate greeting that the nubbins' pheromones had robbed them of.

"So if I hadn't shown up," Charlotte questioned playfully, "What would you have done to… alleviate, your problems?"

Helen groaned. "I don't even want to think about that. I swear I might have just taken advantage of the next person I saw. I'll already have enough issues with my employees after the near incidents that have occurred."

"Some awkward run-ins?"

"You could say that."

"I have to admit, it's kind of funny."

Helen glared at her.

"What? I just can't imagine what it must be like to be all hopped up on horny magic, and then come face to face with _you_!"

Helen pursed her lips.

"I've said it before. You're kind of irresistible," Charlotte said softly, punctuated by another kiss. Her hand drifted from Magnus' waist, over her hip, to her backside, running her hand over the soft flesh, moving down her thigh to tickle the soft skin on the underside of her knees. Helen sighed when she finally pulled back.

"Well thankfully my staff has somehow become accustomed to my charms, because nothing actually happened." Her eyes flickered for a moment as she remembered the pool.

"What?" Charlotte didn't miss a thing.

"It's nothing."

Charlotte grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be good. Something did happen, didn't it?" Her face darkened. "The man I smelled on you."

Helen blushed. "Fine, I admit it. I might have had a slight encounter with the head of my London Sanctuary."

Charlotte filed away the information that Helen had multiple "sanctuaries" for later.

"Oh really?"

Helen nodded. "But we may have possibly had a past relationship already, so it wasn't really anything new. Just a mutually agreed upon release of tension."

Charlotte laughed and shook her head. "So you run a place where making out with coworkers is excusable so long as there are rampant randy rabbits running around?"

Helen looked at her askance. "Rampant randy rabbits?"

"Well you said they were little furry things, right?"

"So I did. However they don't look like rabbits. Though they do have the same fondness for procreation."

"What do they look like?"

"I'll show you tomorrow," Helen said as she leaned in to kiss the delicate skin of Charlotte's neck. The young woman hummed, laying on her back and stretching her neck to the side so Helen could continue with ease. Charlotte's hands rested on Helen's hips, occasionally drifting to squeeze her bum as the doctor moved on top of her, gently covering her body with wet, open mouthed kisses. Any thoughts of passing out or falling asleep vanished. Adrenaline fuelled arousal surged through them once more.

"So you promised something about giving as good as you got?" Charlotte said.

"Did I?" Helen mumbled against her skin.

"Don't be coy."

"Never!" Helen stretched up and took Charlotte's bottom lip between her own, sucking on it quickly before clamping down with her teeth.

"Ow!" Charlotte pulled back.

"If you recall, _professor_," Helen said, eyes gleaming, the word sounding dirty yet so hot in her mouth, "You tied me down. Now you can't even take a little bite?"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at the woman poised above her. "Well, _doctor_, it's what's coming next that's got me on edge."

Helen grinned. "Very wise." Then she met Charlotte's mouth again, kissing her thoroughly. Helen ran her nails up Charlotte's outer thighs before digging them into her hips.

"So what _is_ coming next?" Charlotte gasped between kisses.

"Besides you?"

"Cheeky."

"Do you really want to know?" Helen whispered. Charlotte nodded. Helen's voice was deep and sensual as she spoke, never ceasing her kisses to Charlotte's lips, face, and neck. "Well as my hands have been rather remiss of touch today, I thought I'd take some time to reacquaint them with your very lovely body." Helen's slender fingers skimmed over Charlotte's pale skin teasingly, igniting goosebumps, eliciting gasps but offering no real pleasure. They hovered over Charlotte's breasts for a moment before Helen decided otherwise and moved on. Charlotte bit her lip to stop from protesting. She didn't think she could stand Helen's smug face right now.

"Next up, I would normally take the same path with my mouth." She laid a kiss to Charlotte's collarbones, chest, mouth moving to hover over Charlotte's breasts again. "But as the nubbins are most definitely still affecting me, I don't think I can take the time to do that." She left her breasts aching and wanting once more. Helen moved, brushing her lips all the way up Charlotte's neck back to her mouth.

"Instead," she spoke against Charlotte's lips, "I'm going to get straight to business."

"I like business," Charlotte's voice was strained. Helen grinned into their kiss.

"I'll bet you do."

Charlotte buried a hand in Helen's long, thick hair, anchoring her mouth against her own for a while, drunk with her taste.

"So how does Helen Magnus do business?"

Helen left Charlotte's mouth, wet and wanting, rising up onto her elbows to peer down at her lover. She kept her blue eyes locked with Charlotte's brown while she spoke.

"I'm not going to tie you up. I like the feel of your hands in my hair, and I know you're going to want to do so as I lick my way down your body."

Charlotte nodded, glancing at the hair in question. It framed Helen's face like a halo, falling in soft waves, tickling Charlotte's skin. She really did love it. She felt her own was too curly, that fingers got tangled too easily. Helen's was lush and well-cared for, and felt like silk as you ran your fingers smoothly through it.

"I'll get to your hips," Helen continued, her voice low and husky. "And use my hands to spread you open for me." Charlotte's jaw clenched, her eyes watering as she tried not to blink, not wanting to miss a second of Helen's smoky gaze, or the way her lips moved to create her enchanting, lilted words. "I'll look at you for a few moments to see how wet you already are, turned on by my actions, my body, my voice." Charlotte licked her lips. "I'll stretch you out even further, then crouch down, level with your heat. You'll think I'm going to wait longer, tease you, touch you, but I won't. I'll use my thumbs to part your sex and then lean in and thrust my tongue inside you, as deep as I can go."

Charlotte finally had to close her eyes, writhing beneath Helen as she felt her words, viscerally. Helen leaned down and licked across Charlotte's lips in a prelude to what she would soon do below. Helen wrapped a hand around Charlotte's head, the other moving to her waist as she used the weight of her body to keep Charlotte from rubbing against her leg. Helen's voice was barely a sultry whisper as she spoke into Charlotte's ear. "I'm going to devour you, Charlotte. I'm going to lick, suck, bite, and caress you like you've never felt before. I'm going to fuck you with my tongue." She licked the shell of Charlotte's ear.

Charlotte shuddered. "God, Helen…"

"Then, while you're trembling and moaning, recovering from your climax, I'm going to open that drawer of mine. I'm going to select some things I know you'll _really_ like, and then I'm going to fuck you again." Charlotte was already trembling in her arms, breath coming out in short pants. "Does that sound alright to you, darling?" Helen's hands left Charlotte's body, moving to prop herself up by her elbows. It took Charlotte several beats to realize that Helen was done. The virologist opened her eyes blearily, staring up at Helen with an open mouth, her lust-flooded mind absently recognizing Helen's sexy, smug face.

Very slowly, Charlotte nodded her approval. Helen grinned. Charlotte gulped. Then Helen proceeded to follow through with everything she'd promised and more.

_To be continued…_

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><p>So… Who was right! What more surprise guests could be coming!<p> 


	5. The Morning After

**A/N** Sadly, I can't ALWAYS focus on the smut… right? So I chucked in some PLOT in this one! Tell me how I did

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><p>Helen awoke to a world of chirping birds and bright sun. She kept her eyes closed; smiling lightly as she slowly emerged from her deep sleep. The Big Guy had wisely chosen to leave them alone for the night, knowing one skipped meal wouldn't hurt. They'd fallen into an early slumber, exhausted by their fevered couplings. They'd woken up several times, however, to find the nubbins' power still strong. Either that or their natural desire had taken over. They seemed to have slept away most of the morning, now. She felt something shift in front of her and opened her eyes. Deep brown eyes stared back at her, crinkled in the corners by a smile.<p>

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," said Charlotte softly.

"Morning," Helen whispered back. She took a moment to stretch, staying within the confines of Charlotte's arms, which were loosely wrapped around her. She hurt in so many places, but damn it felt good. Charlotte's eyes flickered over her body. The bright sun illuminated her own hand prints painted on the fair skin of Helen's hips.

"How is it that you always seem to wake up before me?" Helen asked.

Charlotte shrugged. "You look so different when you're asleep. Relaxed, peaceful… It's beautiful. I think my body senses when it's morning and wakes me up before you so I can see that for a few minutes."

Helen appraised her, considering. "I'm used to always being the first one awake. I'm a very light sleeper. If a lover happens to wake firs,t I always come to at the same instant."

Charlotte shrugged again. "Maybe you know, subconsciously, that you're safe with me... that you can remain at peace."

Helen looked away. She didn't want to consider the implications of that statement. Charlotte let the moment pass, waiting for Helen to look back at her before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Helen saw through the attempt at distraction and gratefully went along with it. She slid her hand over Charlotte's waist to the soft skin of her back, holding her close. The kiss stayed soft and sweet while hands lightly caressed. After a while, Charlotte pulled back with a quiet sigh, resting her head on one of the plush pillows adorning Helen's bed. A languorous smile spread over their lips as they looked at each other. Charlotte marveled at seeing Helen's smooth skin, unmarked by all the cuts and bruising she had last time, besides those she'd put there herself last night, that is. She was unsettled, however, by the amount of scars, faint evidence of injuries long past.

"Don't worry about them," Helen assured her quietly. "They'll fade soon enough."

Charlotte frowned. Some of them looked pretty intense; the kind that took decades to fade. How was Helen so sure they'd disappear? She saw a flash of something over the top of Helen's shoulder, and her morose thoughts vanished as a blush sprung up on her pale cheeks.

"What is it?" Helen questioned.

"My bra is hanging over one of the handles of your dresser."

Helen grinned.

"And there's a nipple clamp on the floor."

Her grin grew wider.

Charlotte's blush deepened, and she looked away for a moment.

"I've never used some of that stuff before."

"It was all quite elementary."

"I'm not sure I want to know what else you have hidden."

"Sure you do."

Charlotte looked at her and sighed. "Ok, you want me to admit it? I will. I would love to try out some more of your crazy toys."

"Whips, riding crops, and the like are all in a case in the closet."

Charlotte gazed levelly at her, and then blinked. "Of course they are."

Helen smiled wryly. "You don't have to try anything you don't want to, you know. I don't often partake in them myself."

"I think I'd like to just keep learning you with my own hands for now."

"More than ok with me," Helen smiled, reaching out to stroke her thumb across Charlotte's cheek. She looked the young woman up and down, noting the multitude of bruises and bites.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you at all," she apologized. "I'm not usually like that."

"You didn't," Charlotte said quickly. "And I understand. Whatever it is that those little furry things do… it changed me, too."

Magnus smiled, very relieved that she hadn't scared off her new lover or done anything out of line.

"You have an amazing home," Charlotte complimented a few minutes later. Helen smiled proudly.

"I've worked very hard to keep it so."

"I looked up as much as I could with the information on your card, but I couldn't find anything. I couldn't believe it when the cab drove up to this complex of yours. It's like your own castle or something."

"I do certainly enjoy purveying my lands from atop the North Tower," Helen laughed.

Charlotte had wondered why the cab driver looked so impressed when she asked to be taken to The Sanctuary. She'd known Helen was some kind of rich, enigmatic businesswoman, but she'd never expected this. As she walked toward the main gates, she'd felt an overwhelming sense of inferiority. She'd felt like a fool, thinking she could be a match for Helen Magnus. She was way out of her league. An unknown force had kept pushing her forward, though, and as soon as she'd seen Helen's flushed face opening the door, she'd known she'd made the right choice.

"So you keep a gun in your skirt, huh?" the young woman plowed on, finally voicing the curiosity that had plagued her since the day before.

"An unfortunate necessity."

"In your own home?"

"I'm not the only one who lives here."

"Who do you keep in your house that you would need to defend against?"

Helen took a deep breath. It had been relatively easy to avoid talking about her work when they were on Grand Comore. Here, in her house, where Charlotte could run into an abnormal around any corner, it wasn't so simple. Helen knew she was at a turning point. She either had to let Charlotte in, or turn her away.

"Charlotte, are you absolutely sure you want to know? Because once I tell you, there's no going back. You've already had a taste of the kind of situations I often deal with. " She had to give her one last chance to back out, for her own sake. Charlotte's face was solemn as she considered the seriousness of the situation. "And before you decide," Helen continued, "You have to know that my network and I are… well, let's just say we're not in very good standing with the world's governments right now."

Charlotte's eyebrows rose. _The world's governments?_ Just what kind of establishment did she run? And why was she on the outs? She looked into Helen's eyes, trying to will information to come out of them. The blue depths offered nothing. If anything, they hardened, shutting down, clouding over. The doctor wasn't going to give her anything more. If she wanted to know, Charlotte had to take a leap of faith, blind, deaf, and dumb. She looked away from Helen's face, grabbing a lock of her wavy dark hair and twirling it between her fingers as she considered. Magnus appreciated her taking the situation so seriously, but felt herself growing cold as time passed. She realized she wanted to let Charlotte in. She wanted it quite badly. Charlotte could be a fine asset to her network, both personally and professionally. Charlotte finally brought her gaze level with Helen's once more.

"I'm in." Her voice was strong and full of resolve. Relief flooded through Helen, though her face didn't betray a thing. Helen nodded.

"Very well."

Charlotte settled herself comfortably into the mattress as Helen launched into a fantastical tale that spanned centuries.

"To begin with, I must tell you that I'm 274 years old. I was born in 1851 in London, England. My father was a surgeon…"

By the time Magnus was finished, the sun had found its afternoon path. Charlotte was silent for a long while, her eyes distant.

"Can you give me a minute?" she asked quietly.

Magnus nodded. "Of course. Take as long as you need." She left her bed, quickly wrapping herself in a robe, grabbing some clothes, and leaving. She would use the showers in the unoccupied guest quarters, one floor down. Then she'd head to her office to get some work done, and maybe eat something, though her appetite was absent. She needed to do something to keep her mind off the woman lying in her bed, wondering whether she would be able handle the truth after all.

It was an agonizing hour and a half until Charlotte walked into her office.

"You're butler is a Sasquatch," she announced. Helen looked up from her computer screen. Charlotte was freshly showered and in clean clothes; a pair of dark jeans and a purple top with simple, black flats. She also wore a thin, dark sweater, covering up the marks she'd made, which made Magnus smirk. Helen was sure Charlotte would be wearing a turtleneck if not for the warm weather outside. Helen herself was also wearing a sweater over her dress and had had to put on an impressive amount of makeup to hide the marks on her neck. Charlotte had obviously recovered her suitcase at some point and found her own supplies. More likely, the big guy had brought it up.

"Indeed he is."

"He brought me breakfast."

"He tends to do that."

"He growled at me."

"He does that too."

The doctor waited patiently for Charlotte to continue. The woman walked forward, sitting down in the chair across the desk from Helen. She slowly looked around, absorbing every detail of Helen's uniquely styled office. Her eyes rested on the pictures that adorned the shelf behind Magnus. She tried to keep her wonder in check as she saw the photographic evidence of Helen's stories, the woman smiling beside countless influential, historical figures. It was harder, though, to keep her reaction in check when she saw a picture of Helen with a young blonde girl, Helen smiling proudly while the beautiful girl laughed. She'd told her about Ashley, but hadn't gone into details. Charlotte respected the fact she wasn't ready for that yet. Even with everything Magnus had told her, she felt she had barely scratched the surface. Charlotte looked back to the woman who consumed her thoughts. She was wearing a steely dress that made her eyes look more grey than blue. It was amazing, how they changed colour depending on her outfit.

"Sorry I took so long," Charlotte said.

"It's a lot to take in."

"You wondered if I'd be able to handle it."

Helen paused.

"I have faith in you, Charlotte," she said carefully, "but I've seen very strong people fall before the truth of my work."

Charlotte clasped her hands in her lap.

"So when do I get the nickel tour?"

Helen smiled widely. "Give me a few minutes to finish up what I'm doing, and I'll give you a whole five dollars' worth."

Charlotte handled the tour remarkably well. Being thrust into a hostage situation with crazed super-villains had helped inure her to the shock of seeing strange things. Granted, the super villains had all been humanoid, whereas the greater population of Helen's Sanctuary was not. Charlotte jumped when the kerophlex popped out and screeched when the fire elemental flared, but she had actually got on quite well with Steve and two-faced guy. They were both enamored with her, in fact. Helen was a bit anxious when Charlotte saw Sally for the first time, but a strange look had come over the young woman's face, and she'd walked straight up to the tank. Her left hand came up to rest against the glass, and Sally mirrored her. Charlotte's eyes had closed for several minutes, but when she stepped back and Helen inquired, she'd simply smiled and shook her head. Helen looked to Sally who also smiled, then swam away.

"Already charming my residents," Helen muttered, shaking her head. Charlotte giggled and playfully bumped her elbow.

"Maybe they just sense a kindred spirit."

Helen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The pheromones that came from your… nubbins? I had an idea about how to neutralize them."

Helen looked askance.

"Can I see them?" Charlotte asked, offering no more information.

Magnus led her to the nubbins enclosure, finding them all rather lethargic as the reformatted climate controls worked their magic. Charlotte peered in at the furry little balls of trouble.

"Would you be willing to take one out for me to run some tests on?" Charlotte asked. Magnus considered the request. She'd already dealt with one outbreak this week, she didn't need another. Looking into Charlotte's inquiring eyes, she sighed.

"Do you need it conscious?"

Charlotte shook her head.

"If Henry can create a containment vessel he is _positive_ will work, I can let you have one, yes. But any sign of it waking up or trying to escape, and I will terminate the experiment."

Charlotte nodded. Helen quickly called Henry and relayed the request. After assurances that he'd, "have it in no time" Charlotte piped up.

"So have _you_ had breakfast?"

"My butler was kind enough to make sure I did, yes."

"Ok…" The professor contemplated asking to go back to the library to dig deeper into the incredible collection the doctor housed, but decided against it. She'd spent decades of her life in libraries, learning and studying. She wanted to spend her limited time with Helen.

"Any places to go for a walk around here?"

Helen smiled.

"We can go through the gardens. There's a lovely path along the water at the end of them."

Charlotte grinned. "Sounds great."

On the way out they ran into Will. Their conversation was stilted as he tried to avoid looking at either woman. Magnus had to work hard to contain her laughter_. Poor thing._ She'd have to have a talk with him, and probably Henry, once Charlotte left. Speaking of leaving…

"Where's Declan?" she asked.

"Oh, he caught a flight back to London. Said something came up that needed his immediate attention."

Helen's heart sank. She remembered with a pang the state she'd left him in the day before. She'd definitely have to call him and sort things out. She'd never even found out what he'd been there to talk to her about. For now, though, there were more pressing matters at hand.

Two hours later, Helen was sitting on a chair watching Charlotte, in a lab coat, conducting tests on an inert nubbin.

It was incredible. And arousing.

Thankfully the little nubbin stayed still in the chamber that Henry had modified to mimic the environment of its enclosure. Charlotte's hands were encased in medical rubber gloves that were attached to the chamber but extended inside. The professor handled her instruments with a delicate, knowing touch.

"So what I'm doing," Charlotte explained, "Is trying to isolate the gland from which the nubbins expel their pheromones. If it works cross-species, it's obviously a very potent compound. We both know from personal experience how dramatically it can affect even a human's more complex physiology."

Helen nodded. She knew indeed.

"I thought that if we could analyze the pheromones, we could maybe develop a vaccine or some kind of counter-agent to nullify its effects."

"I never thought to create something to counter the pheromones," Helen admitted, silently noting the '_we'_ Charlotte had mentioned. "I was always far too busy trying to contain the creatures before they ate through my Sanctuary."

"Maybe if we can create something to counter its distracting side effects, you'd be more able to focus in the event of another break out."

Helen stood and walked to her side. "I sincerely hope we don't have another incident, but it would certainly ease my mind to know we at least have a defense against that charming ability."

"Well you probably have way more knowledge than I do about this kind of thing. I wish I could draw parallels between viruses and the pheromones, but…"

"It's fine. Now that you've given me the idea, I'm sure we can work together to figure it out. A kind of hormone injection or some such…"

Charlotte set her tools down and looked to the woman at her side. "As much as I love lemurs, I have to admit it's very… invigorating to work on something so new and unique."

Helen licked her lips.

"I'm pleased to have given you the chance."

Charlotte stepped closer. "If you have any more problems like this, I'd be glad to help. Just call me up. Anytime."

Helen leaned imperceptibly closer to her. "I might just do that."

"Do you think the pheromones can permeate glass?"

Helen glanced at the container, smiling mischievously.

"Probably."

Charlotte's vision started to blur as Helen's impossibly wide, blue eyes moved closer, her warm breath caressing the young doctor's lips…

The door to the lab banged open. Helen smoothly stepped back.

"Helen, my dear! I hear you have a new friend visiting!"

Magnus cringed, folding her arms across her chest and turning to the intruder.

"Hello, Nikola."

_To be continued…_

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><p>Weeeh! Another one joins the party ;)<p> 


	6. Making Friends

Clad in a dark grey suit and shiny black shoes, Tesla's arms were spread wide in a cheerful greeting. His eyes instantly zeroed in on Charlotte, narrowing slightly as he clapped his hands together.

"Well _hello_ there my dear," he drawled, boldly walking up to her. "What might your name be?" He picked up her hand, laying a charming kiss on the soft skin.

"Charlotte Benoit," she replied unsteadily, glancing at Helen questioningly. Helen shrugged helplessly. How could one explain Nikola Tesla?

"Enchanté!" he exclaimed, eyeing her up and down. She gave him a polite smile.

"And who might you be?"

He was taken aback at first, but then an indulgent smile spread across his face. He still held her hand in his.

"Nikola Tesla. Delighted to make your acquaintance."

He saw a gamut of thought run across her attractive brown eyes. Disbelief, contemplation, shock, acceptance.

"Nice to meet you," she said. "Thanks for your inventions."

He gave a joyful laugh.

"Oh, Helen! I like this one!"

"So glad I have your approval," the doctor responded drily.

"I've heard the most intriguing rumour about her. And you."

"I'm still in the room, you know…"

Two pairs of eyes swung to look at Charlotte. Tesla's grin turned sly, and he crossed his arms.

"So, Ms. Benoit. What is that you do?"

"_Doctor_ Benoit," Helen interrupted, "Is co-chair of virology at Yale."

His eyebrows rose ever so slightly, his gaze never wavering from Charlotte's.

"What genus is the Chikungunya virus?" he probed.

Her eyebrows rose to match his.

"The Alphavirus. Transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes."

"Coital exanthema?"

"It affects horses. Part of the herpesviridae family."

He opened his mouth to continue, but she cut him off.

"Would you like me to write up a report of my favourite colours, foods, and TV shows?"

His mouth snapped shut. He stared at her, silently, arms still crossed. Helen glanced nervously between them. Finally Nikola whirled around to face Helen.

"As if you didn't infuriate me enough. How do you find people like this?"

Charlotte started in affront, opening her mouth to protest but now she was cut off by a widely grinning Magnus.

"I'm glad you like her."

"Astonishing. She barely even blinked when I told her who I was!"

"_Shocking_, isn't it?"

"Oh very clever, Helen."

"Should I leave you two alone?"

Two pairs of keen blue eyes darted to Charlotte once again.

"From what I hear," Nikola said slowly, "It is in fact _I_ who should be leaving _you_ two alone."

Helen sighed. Was it too much to ask that her team keep quiet about this one thing? It was her turn to cross her arms, raising a single, styled eyebrow. She stayed silent. Nikola glared at her. The tension mounted as Charlotte wondered if she should speak.

"Alright!" Nikola suddenly cried out, making the young woman flinch. "The curiosity is overwhelming! I can't stand it! I shall swallow my pride."

Helen smirked triumphantly.

"Are you are or are you not sleeping with the oh-so-charming professor?"

Helen cocked her head to the side. "What do you think?"

Nikola ground his teeth together. "Well ever since you chose Johnny as your life partner I've never quite known what to think about your love life."

"You're avoiding the question."

Nikola huffed. "I think I'll believe it when I see it. As the children claim to have."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Really, Nikola? You're going to play that game?"

He shrugged. "Well there's apparently been a breakout of some kind of magic little mutts that make you all excited up the skirts, so…"

She glared at him.

"You can't blame a guy for trying!"

Helen shifted her feet and licked her lips, which she'd realized were dry. Now that Nikola mentioned it, she was still feeling rather warm. She glanced at the nubbin in the case. It was still out cold. But Charlotte had been trying to extract the pheromones from it. Helen's eyes flickered to the young woman's. She saw a flush in her face. They'd talked about the pheromones seeping through things like glass walls…

Nikola's keen, vampire eyes flicked quickly between the two women. He could practically smell the sensuality oozing off of them.

"Come on, Helen," he goaded. "You know you want to."

She managed to break her contact with Charlotte to glare at him again.

"Nikola…" her voice was low and warning.

"Just pretend I'm not even here! It's ok! You know I can amuse myself."

"What are you doing here, anyways?" she asked. "You interrupted some important work."

"Oh yes, I saw," he nodded earnestly. "You two were about an inch apart, and I could have sworn you were about to…"

"Nikola!"

"But you should know by now not to let me interrupt your ever important Sanctuary business!" he barreled on. "I would really just _hate_ to be a bother to you. How terrible it was of me to burst in on you like this. Never mind the new intel I have on the next big SCIU project! I've only known you for a hundred and 20 years plus. I still have to call ahead and make an appointment, don't I?"

Charlotte looked helplessly at Helen. Could she please shut this guy up already? Helen had to visibly keep control of herself. She shot daggers at the verbose vampire, but he never lost a beat. Finally, Helen looked at Charlotte, and raised her eyebrows in question. Charlotte worried her bottom lip between her teeth, unsure. Helen bowed her head, looking at Charlotte through her thick, dark eyelashes. Charlotte rolled her eyes, sighed, and nodded. Helen breathed deeply in anticipation. Helen covered the distance between her and Charlotte in an instant.

"…Doesn't matter that we survived two world wars together…"

Helen gathered Charlotte's face between her hands, not stopping her stride as she backed the young woman up against the table and pressed her lips against hers. Charlotte's hands flew to Helen's waist, steadying herself before wrapping one arm around her curves. The other swept up her back to curl around Helen's neck. Helen proceeded to give Charlotte a thorough snogging, replete with tangling tongues and soft moans.

Nikola's tirade faltered to a sudden halt when he emerged from his self-centered bubble and realized what was happening. His jaw dropped and he was, for the first time in his long life, utterly speechless. The women remained completely oblivious of him as he watched Helen grasp the professor's jean clad bottom, helping her hop backwards up onto the table. Nikola was suddenly concerned, running to the table and grabbing the nubbin containment vessel just before they crashed into it. He didn't think Helen wanted to deal with another breakout quite yet. He set it carefully on a nearby counter, and took a deep breath. He turned around. Now they were… Oh sweet lord!

He swiftly vacated the room, breathing hard. The nubbins didn't affect his vampiric inner-workings, but he didn't need the help to feel… unsettled. Yes, he'd been encouraging them, but he didn't actually expect Helen to fall for it! Good lord, what that woman did to him! In the end she came away with the last laugh anyways. He was thoroughly distracted. He knew he'd come here for a specific purpose, but it was completely lost to him. He cursed in Serbian. Then he gathered himself up, resumed his pompous air, and sauntered out to find one of her little minions. A good mocking was sure to put his ego back on track.

A while later, Helen and Charlotte were standing in the lab, fastening clothes and fixing hair.

"Your friends keep getting more and more interesting," Charlotte commented as she pulled her jeans up.

"That's one word for them," Helen replied with a fond smile.

"I can't believe we actually did that. I usually can't stand PDA, but if he hadn't left, we would have…"

"I've been thinking about that myself," Helen frowned as she zipped up the back of her dress. "I think that perhaps the nubbins have a cumulative effect."

Charlotte listened intently as she pulled her purple top over her head.

"When a person is introduced to a specific bacteria, or virus, the immune system usually develops anti-bodies to prevent further habitation. In this case, however, I think the pheromone's only become more powerful with each exposure."

Charlotte pondered the statement. She'd been pretty hyped up the day before, but today she'd almost had sex in front of someone. That was _not_ how she usually behaved.

"You might have something there," she conceded.

"And I'm afraid that I am personally even more susceptible."

"How do you figure?"

"I seemed to be affected more than the rest of my team. I almost became violent, before you arrived. I say without ego that I'm the best of my team at staying in control. However I seemed to be the only one really losing it. It probably has something to do with my unique blood. I metabolize some things far quicker than a normal person; tranquilizers, for example. In other cases however it stands to reason that I could be more drastically hit. If that's the case," Helen continued as she decided to forego her nylons. They hadn't exactly worked out the day before, either. "Then your theory on a counter-agent needs to become a priority. I can't afford to be that mindless again." She looked at Charlotte's nodding figure. "How long can you stay for?"

"I was supposed to fly back tomorrow, but I can call the school and extend that."

"Are you sure? I know you have a life of your own. I don't mean to insinuate that this little problem is more important than your job, or the life you have there…"

"Helen, please," she interrupted. "You think that after seeing all I've seen in the last 24 hours, after all I've learned, that I'm going to prance back to my boring university and be content with my life of normalcy?"

"Yale is hardly a boring school."

"That's not the point."

"Charlotte," Helen finished slipping into her heels, then paused. "I don't expect or want you to drop everything you have for my sake."

Charlotte looked down.

"Not that I don't want _you_, it's just…"

"I get it," Charlotte assured her. "How about we agree that I'll stay until this nubbin problem is dealt with?"

Helen nodded. "I would very much appreciate the help."

Charlotte smiled and nodded. "No problem. I haven't had an actual, fresh problem to work on in a long time. I forgot how much fun the science could be! I've been teaching for so long now, that I'd lost sight of that."

"No shortage of new and interesting chaos in the Sanctuary!"

Charlotte looked around; suddenly realizing the nubbin cage was no longer on the table.

"Helen," she said, concerned.

"It's alright." Helen nodded to the counter where Tesla had moved the container too. Charlotte shook her head.

"Nikola Tesla…"

"The novelty wears off quite quickly in the face of his supposed wit."

Charlotte chuckled. "And you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?"

Helen smiled ruefully. "Probably not."

Tesla cautiously entered the lab an hour later, peeking his spiky-haired head through the door before sighing in relief when he saw the two women on opposite sides of the room. He tried to ignore his extra-keen nose, which easily picked up on a smell that confirmed his theories of what had happened after he'd left. _Do not go there_, _Nikky-boy,_ he commanded himself.

"Ladies!" he cried, bursting into the room. They both jumped.

"Nikola," Helen said sternly, "We are conducting sensitive work here! I would ask that you please refrain from your usual grand entrances. I don't want any more accidents on our hands."

"But of course, my dear," he crooned. "I know your skilled hands are needed for… other things." He smirked between the two women. So long as he kept them uncomfortable, they hopefully wouldn't realize his own discomfort. It seemed to work on the hot professor. If she wanted to be with Helen Magnus, though, she'd better be able to handle her friends, too. Nikola was just doing her a favour, making sure she was ready for Helen. That she deserved her. He almost scoffed out loud at the thought. No one could ever truly deserve Helen… she was so far beyond these petty mortals. It should have been him. He should have been here for her when she was going wild with lust. His superior vampire body could have handled anything she threw at him.

He sighed dramatically. "So what are you two attempting to do, and how can I contribute my genius to overcome whatever silly foresights you've surely made?"

Helen sighed herself, rolling her eyes before launching into the details.

Nikola was shocked and rather miffed to found that he worked very well with the young Ms. Benoit. She had a brain under all that curly hair, and courage inside the skinny body. She had no compunction about calling Helen out if she thought something was wrong. That was usually his job. He found his respect, admiration, and loathing of her grow with every passing remark. When the giant hairy man called them to say dinner was ready, he recognized his opportunity.

"We'll just be right along, darling," he told Helen, smiling pleasantly as he grabbed Charlotte's arm and yanked her to his side. Helen's face instantly transformed, looking at him suspiciously. He grinned wider, his teeth sparkling. Her eyes shifted to Charlotte, but the professor silently communicated her assent. Helen pursed her lips, but nodded, shooting a final glare at Nikola before heading out of the lab. She still could barely believe his timing, showing up now, while Charlotte was there. All she needed now was John Druitt to show up! The door closed behind her, and Nikola let Charlotte go. She rubbed her arm absently as he turned to her, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"So. Charlotte."

She wisely stayed silent.

"It's obvious that my dear Helen has taken a liking to you."

She did not miss the "my" he so purposely emphasized.

"Now I'm ok with that. Really, I am." _No I'm not._ "She's a big girl, and can choose to play with anyone she pleases_." He did not want to think about the two of them 'playing'_ "But I feel it is my duty as her oldest and dearest friend, to let you know that if you do anything… _anything_, to upset or hurt her…" he moved, breaking into Charlotte's personal space. His face suddenly started to waver, change shape. He didn't fully transform, but his voice was deep and echoed when he spoke. "You _do_ know I'm a vampire, right?" Charlotte gulped as she nodded, wide-eyed. He settled back to normal, twisting his neck back and forth.

"Well," he said cheerily. "Anything you want to say?"

She thought for a moment, but shook her head.

"Good girl," Nikola smiled. He suddenly raised an eyebrow and took a few steps back. His eyes quickly raked over Charlotte's figure.

"And if you ever decide that Helen isn't your type after all… well," he waggled his eyebrows, "Call me!"

Charlotte's eyes went wide. "Um…"

"Oh, look at the time," Nikola exclaimed airily, "mustn't keep our dinner guests waiting!" He extended his arm and grinned at her. "Shall we pick up a bottle of Chablis on the way?" She finally smiled back, shaking her head, wondering if every day at the Sanctuary would be so eventful. They walked arm in arm to the wine cellar as Nikola enthusiastically spun a tale of when he and Helen had been searching for the tomb of King Tut.

Dinner was an interesting affair. Charlotte found herself in a room with a Sasquatch who kept grunting at her, two men who couldn't look her in the eye, Nikola Tesla, and a young Indian woman who didn't say much, but kept looking at Charlotte as though she had x-ray vision. Given the rest of the lot, she wouldn't be surprised if she did. She'd already found out that one of the men was a werewolf. All she needed was a ghost and the night would be complete! It seemed that when there wasn't a life, or earth, threatening crisis happening, the merry band could really let loose. She supposed that facing deadly situations all the time, they would not take for granted the times in which they could relax, enjoy each other's company, and dwell on happy times.

After the first two courses of a surprisingly delicious meal served by none other than the tall butler, Charlotte realized two things. One, her glass of red wine was mysteriously at the same level as when she'd started. She glanced to the man, well, vampire, to her right, currently engaged in a verbal sparring match with the werewolf. Would he…? The second thing she realized was that a slender foot was trailing up and down her calf. She looked to the woman, well, immortal, to her left. Helen seemed completely enraptured by the duel between her friends. Charlotte slumped slightly in her chair. She was in way over her head. With a resigned sigh, she raised the crystal wine glass to her lips and took a sip. If everyone here was determined to take advantage of her tonight, well, so be it. Maybe the liquid courage could loosen her up and help her make friends.

_To be continued…_

* * *

><p>Heh. Heheheh.<p>

Ok, normally I avoid the "and then they started getting drunk and…" storylines, because I feel it often descends into out-of-character outrageousness, but… !


	7. Love Potion 9

Charlotte awoke with a moan. Who'd gone at her head with a sledgehammer? She curled up into herself, squeezing her eyes shut and wishing the light of the sun could turn off with a switch. She felt pressure on her head; a hand stroking through her hair.

"Charlotte."

Helen's soft voice penetrated the haze of pain. Charlotte groaned in reply, her mouth feeling full of cotton.

"Darling I'm sorry, but you have to get up."

Charlotte petulantly batted her hand away.

"I have something that will help you, trust me."

Charlotte wearily unstuck her eyelids and opened them. Helen's face swam blearily just a few feet above her. She was holding a glass filled with something thick and dark green. Charlotte's stomach turned, and she feared she'd be sick. Helen set the glass on the side table and gathered Charlotte's head between her hands, stroking her cheeks softly.

"It's alright, love."

She helped the younger woman sit up against a mound of pillows, grasping the glass in her hand and raising it to Charlotte's lips. The professor was shocked at how tasty it turned out to be. Her headache instantly dulled into a barely-there annoyance, and her stomach settled.

"You could make a fortune marketing that to my students."

Helen laughed. "No, young people need to suffer or they'd never learn."

"I certainly agree with you there." She brought her hand up to run through her tangled hair as she surveyed Helen's room. It didn't look too torn up. She rifled through her memory, trying to piece together the night before. They'd been at dinner. Tesla had been sneakily filling up her wine. Helen's foot was caressing her calf… then everything went fuzzy. She took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"So what's the damage?"

Helen looked at her quizzically.

"It's obvious I got ragingly drunk."

Helen nodded, biting her lip to keep from grinning.

"So what's the damage? How big a fool did I make of myself? How much do your friends hate me, and wonder how you could ever look at me?"

Helen chuckled, placing the empty glass on the nightstand before settling herself down beside Charlotte.

"I am happy to report," grinned Magnus, "That you were not the only one to go three sheets to the wind last night."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"After Nikola had filled your glass a few times…"

"I knew you knew what he was doing," Charlotte interrupted, grumbling. Magnus smiled innocently.

"After a few glasses of wine, you started to participate rather jovially in conversation. It seems your skills as a teacher transcend the influence of alcohol, as you somehow managed to persuade Will, Henry, and Kate to engage in a 'chugging' match."

Charlotte cringed. "With wine?"

"With wine."

"Ouch."

But Helen wasn't finished.

"Tesla was horrified, but let it go when he saw the effect it had on everyone. Once you all were feeling rather good, you then declared that as new friends, we must all partake in some shots."

Charlotte's face burned bright, and she clasped her hands in front of her. "I haven't done shots since I was 25."

"You needn't worry, darling," Helen assured her. "I was quite impressed. I often feel that they don't listen to me, but you managed to get even my old friend _and_ Nikola to take a few shots with you! And trust me, Nikola does not often stray from wine."

Charlotte managed a grimace to acknowledge the compliment.

"I don't think I've ever quite seen my team let go like that. The nubbins had everyone on edge. Without your encouragement, they might have still been burning with all that tension."

Charlotte's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Nobody hooked up or anything did they? You told me they all had other people, and…"

"Don't worry, nobody 'hooked up'," Helen smirked. "Besides you and I, of course."

Charlotte's eyes connected with Helen's. "You took advantage of me while I was drunk?"

Helen shrugged impishly. "Call it payback for when you took advantage of me in my sleep on Grande Comore."

"Harumph," Charlotte pouted, but smiled, and leaned her head against Helen's shoulder.

"Your two guys… Will and Henry? They can't even look at me."

"They were looking at you last night."

"Probably plotting how they can get rid of me. Either that or I was dancing on a table or something. Maybe it's a good thing I don't remember."

"Charlotte," Helen said firmly, "They act that way not because they disapprove of you, but because they want to ravish you almost as much as I do."

Charlotte shifted her head to peer up at Helen. "You think so?"

Helen shook her head affectionately and leaned down to peck her on the nose. "How oblivious you are."

Charlotte snorted. "I wouldn't be talking. Those guys check you out every time you turn your back."

Helen paused at that, frowning slightly. "Perhaps since you've been here, yes. Who knows how long it takes for the pheromones to wear off."

"Blame it on the pheromones. Right."

"Charlotte," Helen warned.

"What about Kate?" Charlotte asked, happily changing the subject "She was quiet at dinner, but kept shooting me these weird looks…"

Helen laughed outright at that. "Kate gave you a right good talking to, actually, after the second or so shot."

"Talking to?" Charlotte asked worriedly.

"Oh yes," Helen emphasized, wrapping her arms around Charlotte and pulling her closer. "Something along the lines of, 'It doesn't matter that I live in Hollow Earth, if I hear so much as a whisper about you messin' around on my boss, I'm gonna come up to the surface and kick your ass into orbit' or something to that effect."

Charlotte shook her head. Though she didn't remember it, she could practically see the scene in her head. The young woman had fire, there was no doubt.

"You have a lot of people who care very much about you," Charlotte observed, stroking Helen's bare arms. She'd clearly been up for a while, as she was fully clothed, but her dress was sleeveless.

"And I care for them," was Helen's quiet reply. Charlotte wasn't in the mood to let things turn somber.

"So did you get drunk too?"

Helen grinned slyly.

"You'll never know."

They talked for a while longer until the need for the bathroom became too much, and Charlotte had to excuse herself. She asked Helen if she wanted to join her in the shower.

"Though I'm sorely tempted, I have to say no," Helen replied regretfully. "I have a telephone showerhead. I know what you do with those. If I go in there, I won't be out for hours."

Charlotte's face indicated that that was more than OK with her. Helen leaned in and kissed her.

"I have to get down to the lab. You're supposed to be helping me work on a very important problem, remember?"

"Alright," Charlotte said mournfully. "I'll see you down there in a little bit."

As the doors closed behind Helen, Charlotte sighed. Back to work. If Magnus was the kind of scientist she thought she was, the next few days would be full of work, playtime cast aside. An idea popped into her head. Suddenly, Charlotte smiled. She could work side-by-side with Magnus. But she could also indulge in a little experiment of her own.

_Three Days Later_

The doctors had made remarkable progress. Between the two of them, with occasional help from Tesla, they'd managed to create a working prototype of an anti-nubbin inoculation. It had taken a while to get there, and several purposeful doses of pheromones had led to some interesting times, but they'd finally made a break-through. They'd tried it first on one nubbin, then a group of them. When the results were overwhelmingly positive, Henry volunteered to be the first mostly-human test subject. There was a slight problem when his allergies went into overdrive, but they figured that was because of his physiology and not the injection itself. An argument erupted when they were deciding who to test next.

"I'm sorry, Will," Magnus said, her voice loud, "But you will not be the first human subject. It's still too risky."

"Oh come on!" Will volunteered after hearing from Henry that it was alright.

"No, Will. It's not going to happen. Just because it worked on Henry does not mean it will work on you. We need to work incrementally towards full human testing. Discussion over."

He threw his hands up and stalked out of the room.

"So I guess it's me then." Charlotte said, rolling up the sleeve of her lab coat. Helen reached out and stopped her.

"Not you, either."

"Why not?"

"You really have to ask? There's no way I'm testing an experimental hormone injection when you have a dormant, deadly virus running through your system."

"The operative word there being dormant."

"Charlotte, you know as well as I that anything could set that thing off. I will not take _any_ risk _at all _of doing that."

Magnus' eyes were blue fire as she stared into Charlotte's. The professor knew that so long as she was a carrier for the virus, Magnus would never let her do anything remotely dangerous in the lab.

"Fine," she conceded, crossing her arms across her chest. "Who, then?"

"Me, of course."

"You are 274 years old, with ancient vampire blood in your system, and you said yourself that the nubbins affect you differently. How exactly are you the ideal test subject for normal humans?"

"It is precisely because I'm more vulnerable that I'm the best subject. If the counter-agent works for me, it will surely work for everyone else."

Charlotte still didn't fully agree with her, but this was Magnus' lab. She had to play by her rules.

"I'm administering it," Charlotte stated firmly. Magnus nodded, and rolled up her sleeve. Charlotte provoked the very-awake nubbin they had in containment, easily getting it to release its pheromones. They seeped through the glass and out of the little holes they'd made in the walls. She watched, fascinated, as they hit Helen, her blue eyes instantly darkening and clouding over.

"Charlotte," she breathed, stepping closer, her shoulders hunching, her head lowering as she set Charlotte as her target. The young woman quickly inserted the needle into Helen's arm, releasing its contents, and then pulled back. Helen took another step forward, reaching out to her, breathing hard. She stopped halfway. Her eyes suddenly cleared, and her breathing evened. Her hand dropped to her side.

"Well I'd say that was a success!" Helen proclaimed.

Charlotte enthusiastically agreed. "And easily manufactured. Of course we don't know about any long-term effects, but I'm 99.8% sure there won't be any. You should have no problem keeping a supply on hand, just in case."

Helen reached out to take Charlotte's hand in hers. "Thank you, Charlotte," she said sincerely. "I really hope the nubbins never escape again, but if they do, this will be a great comfort to me."

Charlotte squeezed her hand. "It was my pleasure."

It dawned on her that her work was finished. There was no longer anything keeping her here in this wondrous, wacky place.

"You know," Helen pondered. "In the last few days I've practically told you my whole life story. You know some of my greatest secrets, yet I still know barely anything about your past."

Charlotte made a face. "My life has been so boring compared to yours. I don't even want to waste your time."

"It can't be that bad if you end up dealing with incredibly deadly viruses. You wouldn't be boring me. I'd like to know."

Charlotte felt warm under Helen's genuine gaze. "Well, you'll just have to wait until next time. I can't hold off on my classes any longer." Plus, if Magnus was that interested in getting to know her, it meant she'd be more inclined to visit. Soon, she hoped.

For right now, however, she still had to give Helen her present. Magnus hadn't been able to devote 100% of her time to the nubbin problem. Other Sanctuary matters sometimes took her away, plus the new information on SCIU that Tesla had brought. The flood of problems from last week, though, had miraculously lessened. Charlotte had made full use of her time alone in the lab. Sometimes a Sanctuary employee would drift down to say hello, bring her some tea, or in the case of Tesla, hover all too close to her, peering over her shoulder, hand accidentally brushing her waist as he walked by. She could do nothing but roll her eyes and keep focused. The big guy had come down a few times as well, but merely stood by the door, silent. His presence set her on edge, but he hadn't interfered, for which she was immensely thankful.

"Charlotte," Helen began.

"Wait!" Charlotte squeezed her hand once more before letting go, moving across the lab to open a drawer in the far table. She withdrew a small vial, eliciting a curious look from Helen. She moved back to the older woman and presented her prize. Helen plucked the small vial from her hand and held it up.

"Love Potion #9?" she read the label in disbelief.

"I just couldn't get that song out of my head when I was working on it. It's horribly cheesy, I know. I'm sorry."

"The title is fine." She'd never tell Charlotte how adorable she thought it was. "I'm just curious as to what it is." Helen was intrigued, squinting her eyes to study the thin, slightly shimmery liquid inside.

Charlotte practically bounced, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Well I know the nubbins themselves are a huge threat and that their effects could disable a team, but one-on-one the pheromones aren't so bad, are they?"

Helen slowly shook her head, her body tingling in remembrance of their last few nights together.

"So I figured I'd bottle them up," Charlotte beamed. She stepped forward, resting her hands lightly on Helen's hips. She leaned in to speak right next to Helen's ear. "You can keep them in that special drawer of yours. Save it for… special occasions."

Helen licked her suddenly dry lips. She pulled back so she could see Charlotte's face. Very carefully, she placed the small bottle on the table. Her hands moved to Charlotte's waist.

"Special occasions?" Helen quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Y'know. Like when I visit you."

Helen leaned in, brushing her lips against Charlotte's. "But only when _you_ visit?"

Charlotte's eyes darkened at her tease. They hadn't discussed their relationship, hadn't classified it in any way. She technically had no right to dictate who Magnus could see or not see. Her grip tightened on the doctor's hips.

"_Only_ me," she confirmed, and then cut off Helen's reply with her lips.

_The Next Day_

Helen sighed as she watched Charlotte's plane fly away. She'd offered her her private jet, but Charlotte refused. Apparently a fellow professor was picking her up from the airport, and Charlotte 'simply couldn't' be seen arriving in a private jet. She'd been honest when she informed her colleagues that she'd been working on a problem of the utmost scientific importance. She hadn't told them it was in the private facility of an eccentric billionaire. They would already be swarming her with probing questions, the professors interested and excited about the science of what she'd been doing. She didn't need personal questions coming into the mix!

Their relationship had remained un-discussed. They'd somehow silently come to the conclusion that they both very much enjoyed the other's company but understood the importance of their respective work. They wouldn't let their jobs fall to the wayside, but at the same time, would take full advantage of any free time they could spend together. As had already been proven, they also worked well together in a professional capacity. They hoped the opportunity would arise again. Helen fingered the small bottle that lay hidden in her coat pocket. The 'love potion' had worked wonders. She didn't know how Charlotte had done it, but the professor had managed to create a concentration of the pheromones that didn't have the same cumulative effect as the raw product did. Helen could take it as much as she liked with no fear of becoming overwhelmed by their power. They'd tested that fact numerous times their last night together.

When the women had finally emerged from Magnus' bedroom that morning to leave for the airport, both Helen and Charlotte were shocked to see the whole team waiting to wish Charlotte goodbye. They hadn't planned it at all; each individual had just found themselves drifting towards the main entry hall. Will and Henry had actually looked her in the eye and said they'd enjoyed having her there. Kate had given her a significant look; her arms crossed, but then, to the shock of all, leaned in and hugged her.

"I hope you know how lucky you are," she'd whispered in Charlotte's ear before pulling back.

Tesla then swaggered up to her and gathered her in his arms, dramatically. "My number's in your suitcase," he whispered.

The big guy grunted at her. Charlotte decided to interpret that as a good thing. Helen picked up her suitcase, and as they were leaving the door, she suddenly heard Biggie stomp up behind her and cuff her on the head.

"Ow!" Her hand flew to the suddenly throbbing bump on her head. Helen grabbed her arm to steady her. Charlotte looked up to ask what that was for, when she saw the beaming faces of Magnus' team.

"Did I just miss something?" she asked Helen, who was smiling wider than anyone.

"I'll explain in the car," Helen replied. She hooked her arm through Charlotte's, and led her to the garage.

Charlotte's plane drifted up into the clouds, and Helen bowed her head. She had to get back to the Sanctuary. There was work to be done.

Charlotte gazed out the window, heart tightening, when clouds shrouded her view of the tarmac and the building in which she knew Helen was standing. She rested her head against the back of her seat, closing her eyes.

That had been without a doubt the craziest few days of her life. She was still fighting to digest all the information she'd learned, the things she'd seen, and the people she'd met. She didn't fully believe Helen's statement that the team approved of her, but she harboured an almost desperate need to make them like her. It was childish, but she couldn't help it. She inexplicably wanted everything she could to do with Helen's life, and her coworkers were obviously a big part of that.

She could temper her enthusiasm, though. Helen Magnus was one-of-a-kind. Charlotte still didn't think she was worthy of her attentions, but so long as she had them; she was damn well going to make the best of it. She sighed as the hum of the engines started to lull her to sleep. She'd had a stressful, busy few days, and her body was finally starting to catch up to her. She grinned, crossing her legs. There was only so much 'hanging out' a girl could take in five days.

Charlotte drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the adventures she hoped to have, with Helen Magnus by her side.

The End

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><p>OH'S NO IT ENDED :O Aaaah! :( The simple Nubbins!Fic that turned into something much longer and HelenCharlotty than I expected! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! If you have any thoughts for another nubbin fic, or what should come next in the developing relationship between Helen/Charlotte, or in fact ANY story you'd like me to write... please share :) Although I do hope to get back to "Duality" now... woopsies!

MS


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